
Gass 

Book 



THE STORY 



HOULTON 

MIOM THE 

Public Records, and from the Experiences of 

JTS Founders, their Descendants, and 

Associates to the Present Time. 



ALSO, 

AXNOUNCEMEXTS OF ALL THE PR^^MINENT MER- 
CHANTS AND MANUFACTURING INTERESTS 

/-<J7oFCOa;^J\ 




HOULTON, MAINE: 
WILL H. SMITH, PUBLISHER ANP PRLNTKH, 

1889. 



u 



By will II. SMITH.. 
All riufhts vu'ser'reci. 



00 



HOULTON. 



CHAPTER I. — Its Location axd Geography. 

DEED OF NEW SALEM ACADEMY LANDS. 

To all People to rcliom these presents shall come. Greeting: 

^^'IIEREAS, the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachu- 
setts ditl, on the 2;:)d clay of June, in the year of our Lord, one 
thousand seven huntlred and ninety-nine, by their resolve ot that 
date, grant to the Trustees of New Salem Academy a half Town- 
ship of land in the words following, that is to say: '"Resolved 
that, in pursuance of a Report of a Joint Committee, which ha>> 
been accepted bv both houses of the Legislature, there be and is 
hereby granted to the Trustees of the Academy of New Salem in 
the Countv of Hampshire, and tlieir successors, forever, one half 
of a township of land of six miles .square, for and to, the use of said 
Academy, to be laid out and assigned by the Committee for the 
sale of Eastern lands in some of the unappropriated lands in the 
District of Maine belonging to this Commonwealth, excepting ail 
Lands within six miles of the Penobscot River, * * * which 
said tract of land the said Trustees are hereby empowered and 
authorised to use, improve, sell or dispose -of as they may think 
most for the advantage of the said institution, and whereas the 
Legislature aforesaid did, on the nineteenth day of June, eighteen 
hundred and one, by their resolve of that date, authorise and em- 
pcnver the agents therein named to fulfil and perform all the bar- 
gains made by the aforesaid Committee, * * * and whereas 
the said John Bead and Peleg Coffin, (said agents) did, on the 
twentv-first dav of February, in the year of our Lord eighteen hun- 
dred and fi\"e, in pursuance of the foregoing resolve, convey and 
confirm unto the said Trustees and their successors, to be by them 
holden, in their corporate capacit}-, for the use of said Academy, 
half a Township of Land lying in County of Washington, con- 
taining eleven thousand, five, hundred and twenty acres, equal to 
half a Township of the contents of six miles square, as the same 



was surveyed by Park Holland, Esquire, in the year eighteen hina- 
dred and one, bounded as ibllows, viz. : Beginning at the Northeast 
corner of Groten Academy lands, and running from thence North 
three miles to a stake and stones, * « * ji,-,fi whereas the said 
Trustees did on the sixteenth day of October, in. the vcar of our 
Lord eighteen hundred and four, at their Annual Meeting appoint 
Ebeneze. Mattoon, Samuel C. Allen, and Samuel F. Dickinson, 
whose names are hereto subscribed and seals affixed, a Committee 
to receive the Deed, * * * Now know ye that Ebenezer 
Mattoon, Samuel C. Allen, and Samuel F. Dickinson, the Com- 
mittee above-named, in pursuance of the authority aforesaid by the 
said Trustees in us vested, for a valuable consideration paid said 
Trustees, * * « do hereby grant, bargain, sell, convey and 
Confirm imto them, the said grantees in this deed, their heirs and 
assigns, the respective shares, in common and undivided, in the said 
half Township granted to said Trustees and conveyed as aforesaid, 
that is to say, to the said Aaron Putnam, one eighth part thereof; 
to the said Varney Peirce, one eighth part thereof; to the said Jo- 
seph Houlton, one fifth part thereof; to the said John Putnam, one 
tenth part thereof; to the said Joshua Putnam, one tenth part 
thei-eof ; to the said Rufus Cowles, one tenth part thereof; to the 
said John Chamberlain, one tenth part thereof; to the said William 
Bowman, one twentieth part thereof; to the said Consider Hast- 
ings, one twentieth part thereof; and to the said Thomas Powers, 
one twentieth part thereof, with the appurtenances, * * * * 
we do hereby .convey to them all the rights in, and title to the prem- 
ises which the said Trustees ever had therein. 

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, and af- 
fixed our seals, this first day of June, in the year of our Lord, 
eighteen hundred and ten. 

Signed, sealed, and delivered by the Comm., in presence of 
three witnesses. 

Recorded, Mass., Hampshire, .w. — February 11th, 1811." 

So runs the reading of the first recorded document which names 
the territory, specifically, upon the foce of the earth, of what now 
constitutes the Southern half of our beautiful town. 

This Deed is recorded, in our Registry of Deeds, in Vol. One 
of Records of Washington County, in the District of Maine ; and 
this record begins at the time when this seftion was made a regis- 
tration distrift for the North part of that County. 

The Deed is found on Page 73, and, though now the ink is fad- 
ed, and the leaves yellowed, it claims careful attention, for it sug- 
gestp in many ways the interesting story of the founding of our 



coninninity. The document is too xoluminous to he reprinted in 
full, but enoug-h is reproduced to show clearly the nature of the 
transaction and the parties concerned. 

By the terms of the Legislative act a portion of land was to be 
donated to the Tiustees of the Academy in New Salem, Hamp- 
shire County, Mass., and unlimited choice of location was allowed, 
after passing a six mile belt along the Penobscot ri^ er. No docu- 
ments are within reach to show what guided the authorities in se- 
lecting this particular half town, and tradition is dumb on the same 
point. A careful sifting and research among the archives of the 
vState libraries might reveal material testimony upon that subject, 
but fcn^ the present we are left to coniecture. To the thoughtful 
mind the interest around this point deepens when we reflect upon 
the exact situation of this section of the State of Massachusetts, at 
the opening of the present century. 

No Anglo Saxon settlement, of any consequence, existed any- 
where within its borders, away from the coast line. It was all a 
wild, imknown region, still in the possession of the Indians, except 
the Acadian refugee settlement of Madawaska. And not merely 
was it physically unknown and remote, but, all along its Eastern 
parts hung the clouds of iloubt and disquiet developed in the con- 
flict of jurisdiction about the National Boundary. The Empire of 
Great Britain and the infant United vStates did not know where the 
line of division between them, at the Northeast, lav. In addition 
to this the political situation was obscure and depressing. General 
Washington had just died. ^Ve were upon the point of a war with 
the French, our old allies ; and the British power had not a particle 
of respedl for the new nation, much less fear of anything we could 
do. 

In the midst of this gathering gloom we find the Legislature of 
JMassachusetts alive to the needs of higher education, and also the 
names of ten men upon record who were willing to take the 
chances of the situation, and tiu^n the bounty of the State land in- 
to the means to uplift the school. 

Some advancement had been made in the adjustment of the 
Boundary dispute, but, lor the most part, only in surrender of the 
claims of the United States. Under the interpretation of the treaty 
of 17'S3 the vSt. Cro-'x river was fixed upon as the Eastern bound, 
but there at once came up the question, wliich is the St. Croix.'' 

The French explorers had left the name applied both to the 
present stream of that name, and to what is now known as the 
Ivlaguaguadavic. Had this latter stream retained the name, the 
District of ISIaine would have included all the adjacent territory of 
the Province of New Brunsv.'ick for a ^yidth of some fifteen miles. 



After this matter was settled, and the true St. Croix river was lo- 
cated, then the British claim was asserted that from the Devil's 
Head point, belovv' what is now the citv of Calais, a line should be 
drawn, Southwesterly, acFoss that corner of the land and over the 
Atlantic ocean till its straight course should reacli the Northwestern 
limit of Florida. This claim cut oft' all of the present Washing- 
ton County from Machais, Eastward. 

This assumption was abandoned after a good deal of bickering, 
and then the Biitish claim was from an imknown point at the head 
of the St. Croix stream. Northward, to about Mars Hill, where 
their line would turn to the West, and follow the divide between 
the Penobscot and vSt. John rivers. The United States claim was 
from the same undefined point. Northward, far above Alars Hill, 
and over the St. John river, up into the high lands between that 
river and the St. Lawrence. 

Thus matters stood when' the ten signers of the compact agreed 
to buy this land. Apparently, without their knowledge or consent, 
the location was made where there was no agreed Eastern Bound 
of the Nation. They could take the land if they chose, and await 
the chance to be in the United States or the British territory as the 
lot of arms a diplomacv should eventuate for them. 

Leaving, for the present, the personality of the first proprietors, 
attention may well l)e given to the particular geography and geolo- 
gy of the land. It is a most marked feature of this locating of the, 
grant that it should have been made on the first half of that one of 
these later six mile towns which lay wholly within the valley of 
the St John river, as the distance is measured fi-om the coast in- 
land. Li one sense of the word the New Salem Academv grant 
was, politically, nowdiere as to settled jurisdiction, but geographic- 
ally, upon the water of the St. John, and geologicallv, upon the 
commencement of the calcareous slate formation of the middle 
section of that great stream. As known to-day the town of Houl- 
ton is the first six mile town whollv upon the slate lands of this 
section. It is doubtful if the persons locating the grant knew of 
the fact, but the result of their work was to put the beginning of 
the settlement of this part of the State on to the edge of these fer- 
tile limestone lands, wdiereon could become possible the onward 
march of thrift and prosperity which so foreiblv mark the charac- 
teristics of this St. John river portion of the County. 

The records do not show any reference to a fixed point of start- 
ing in definition of bounds of these half towns. No allusion oc- 
curs to either National or State lines. Each grant begins at a cor- 
ner of a grant lower down, and the lines run around the portion 
in question, according to the compass of the accidental surveyor, 



for the time being. The New Salem grant begins its line at the 
Northeast corner of Groten Academy grant, according to the sur- 
vey of Park Holland, Esq., and this point was about ten and a 
half miles above the head of the St. Croix. 

The North half of the present Houlton was in a tract granted to 
Williams College, in Williamstown, Mass. This grant and con- 
ve\ance occurred a few vears later. The name of Nathaniel In- 
gersoU of New Gloucester, in this State, is early found in connec- 
tion with that portion of the land, also the name of Joseph E. 
Foxcroft of same town. There is a record of considerable con- 
veyancing back and forth with reference to that grant. It might 
be inferred that Foxcroft was an agent of the Committee, and that 
the sale was entrusted to his care. He first deeds the twenty-three 
thousand acres to Richard Tobie, Jr., of New Gloucester, on the 
■2i\th of September, 1815. April 2d, 1<S20, he takes the deed back 
again of the whole grant, settles up a number of tax sales that have 
occurred, and, of same date, transfers a complete title to President 
and Trustees of Williams College. The name of this former own- 
er of the tract is still found in the designation of the settlement in 
the Eastern part as '' Foxcroft." 

The geography of the town is well studied in the bird's-eye-view 
which is obtained from the top of the high ridge of ground where 
the first clearing was made. This high land extends from the 
South line of the town, and within about one and a half miles of 
the Eastern line, up some two miles and a half, where it drops ofl:' 
abruptly to admit of the passage of the brook, known in the old 
deeds as ^'Mr. Houlton's Mill Stream." To-day it is called Cook's 
Brook. From the hill top in the summer season the observer can 
look upon as fair a prospect as any town in the county can show. 
The Meduxnekeag river enters the town at the Southwest corner, 
and flows Northeasterly through it, dividing the territory into two 
nearly equal seftions. A branch entering at the Noilhwest corner 
joins the main stream near the centre of the town, at the head of 
the mill pond. Across the whole length, in the Western part, ex- 
tends the great horseback, through which the streams forced their 
way centuries ago, and in which the building of the highways has 
made deep excavations. In every direction the broad smooth fields 
extend, and the woods still stands as a fringe about the clearings. 
The soil is the bright yellow loam which overlies all this calcareous 
formation and, Ibrthe mostpart, the ground isfree from surfiice stone. 
Competent persons have pronounced the town, both in its original 
condition, and now, in later years, in its agricultural capabilities, 
the equal of any similar extent of land in this river valley. 



GRANDMOTHER'S STORY. 



CHAPTER II. 



Grandmother's life work draws near its close. The years of 
greatest activity are already far past. The children whom she 
nursed and cared for are now okl men and women. The number 
of her years is but little less than that of this century. She can 
busy herself with her knitting and trifling matters around her, but 
her mind dwells upon the vanished youth and motherhood. 

From her home on the hill she has watched the whole transfor- 
mation of this section, out of an untrodden wilderness into its pres- 
ent condition as the home of thousands. Herself and one or two 
others are the only remaining links to connect us with the events 
and actors in the founding' of our town. 

As she sits in the rocking chair witli her white apron on, the • 
white kerchief about her neck, and the silvered hair smoothly 
pressed back vmder the cap, she tells her story to curious grand 
children and great grand children, who come in to see her, and beg 
for the tale of the buried past. 

"I was born in Alfred, York County, March 2;")th, 1<S()4. My 
Father had learned the trade of a cabinet maker in Saco, and also 
was used to carpenter work. My Mother was born and bi"ought 
up in Saco. She was a good singer, and was one of the choir who 
sang at the fvmeral services which took place after the death of 
General Washington. 

Father left home to work at the carpenters' trade when I was 
seven years old. He came as far as Bangor where he heard of 
the new settlement on the border, one hundred and ten miles off 
through the trackless forrest. While making inquires about the 
way to this point he found an Oldtown Indian who said he knew 



the track through the woods. The Indian did not know mucli 
English, and alter they left the river at* Mattawamkeag, lather 
thought the fellow did not know much about the wav. 

At a carr\ing place there was a kind of a path which father un- 
derstood the guide to try to say led to Houlton, and it was hut a 
mile or so through. With this idea in his mind, he sent the Indian 
back and started alone. He soon found out his mistake ; the path 
disappeared ; he lost the right course, and wandered about for 
eight days. His provisions had given out which he had carried 
in his saddle-bags over his shoulders, and at this time he became 
so weak he had to leave them on a knoll in the woods. He con- 
tinued to drag himself along, another day, though his strength was 
fast failing him ; when, at last, he came into a small clearing near 
the log house of Dr. Rice, which stood on the corner of the square 
where ^Nlrs. Alansvn' now lives. Dr. Rice ^vas out when father first 
got there, and jSIrs. Rice, seeing how famished he was, gave him 
a little heartv food. It was too much for his weak stomach and 
made him verv sick. 

The Dr. then came in, and watched over him all the rest of the 
da\ . A swallow or two of coftee, at a time, was all the nourish- 
ment he could bear. After his strength was restored he took a 
man with him and went out into what is now Hodgdon and found 
the saddle-bags. Father must have done his first work over in 
the Pro\ince for there was but one frame building in Houlton when 
I first got here. It was a vear and a half after he left home before 
he sent for his familv. Mr. Samuel Cook, with a young fellow 
named Jo. Goodenough, were going down to the western part of 
Maine and father made a bargain with him to bring us up. Mr. 
Cook left Jo at Oldtown, and hired a horse and wagon to carry him 
to Alfred. It was the first day of September, 1813, that we started 
on the long journev. It was now the war time and the enemy's 
vessels were oft' the coast so that no one could go by vessel to the 
St. John river, as the first people who went to Houlton did. 
This was the reason why Mr. Cook came away across the country 
with the horss and wagon. Mother had a little girl, three years 
old, named Sally, and myself at this time. vShe had buried two 
children in i\lfred before this. Mr. Cook carried us down to Saco 
where we saw mother's people, and Uncle John Pattison went with 
us to Portland. We staid one day, at the Elm House, and I stood 
on the steps and saw the funeral of the Captains who were killed 
the day before. I can never forget that procession with its muffled 
drimis, its reversed arms, and the strange looking uniforms of the 
British soldiers. Mr. Cook went down on board of the two ships 
in the afernoon.- 



Leaving Portland September 7th, we drove as far as Winthrop, 
where we rested one day. Then out to the Kennebec river, and, 
after passing through Albion, the turnpike came to an end. The 
rest of the way to Oldtown was simply a rough road, grubbed out 
in the woods. As mother was walking at one time we met a car- 
riage with two women. They said they had seen enough and did 
not want to go any farther East. We stayed in Oldtown one night 
and half a day, at the tavern kept by Jackson Davis, who was a 
Qiiaker. A boy was sent for the cows, and came in soon to sav 
he could not find them. " Thee go again " said Mrs. Davis, '•^ and 
pluck thine eves open." 

In the morning two canoes were ready, and mother and us chil- 
dren went in one with a man by the name of Wm. Spencer, and 
Mr. Cook and Jo in the other. The last house was at Sunkhaze 
streain, where we thought of spending the night, but the familv 
seemed so poor with so many dirty, half-naked children that mother 
told Mr. Cook she would rather camp on the shore. A tent t)f 
quilts and rugs was made for us, and we passed eleven nights in 
that way. When we came to a carr>'ing place Mr. Cook would 
take Sally in his arms, audi walked with mother. At one of these 
places, on ;i frosty morning, I was so tired I sat down and refused 
to go on. I said we should die any way, for we should never get 
out of the dreadful woods. 

When we got up the river to what is no^v Danforth e\'erything 
had to be carried over to the Grand Lake ; then we went through 
the Thoroughfare, and across to the East side of North Lake. On 
the Thoroughfare we o\'er took a party of six men who had start- 
ed sooner than we did to crOss North Lake. When we got ac],'oss 
we found their camp and some fish already cooked, with a note at- 
tached, stating they were left for "Mother and the little ones." 

From the North Lake a carry was made to the nearest Eel River 
Lake, and then down through that stream to the St. John river, 
twelve miles below Woodstock. After we ha:! gone up that ri%er 
six miles, father met us with horses, for th^,- men, whom we had 
seen, had got out two days before we did and brought him wor.l. A 
Mr. Wolverton was with him, and he took us to his home where 
we spent the niglit. The next morning, October 10th, we carne 
with the same horses, through the woods, by the spotted, line, to 
the long looked for end of the journcv. The first cleai'ing we 
came to was that of Mr. Cook, at just about the spot where the 
Cook house still stands. A log house was in the centre of tlie 
opening. On the other side of the track was the log house and 
clearing of Joshua Putnam. We spent one night with the Cook 
family, and once again set out for our own house. We went up 



tlirough a piece of maple woods to Joseph Houlton's log house. 
Next, down the hill, near where the extract works are, was the log 
house of James Houlton, oldest son of Joseph. Across the track 
his brother Samuel had a house but did not live in it. There was 
nothing more in the way of a clearing, or house, till we got to the 
log house of Dr. Rice, where father was cared for after his hard 
journey. Then we crossed the stream and went up to Aaron Put- 
nam's new frame house which father had just built, and in which 
he had secured rooms for our family. Mr. Putnam had, besides 
his house, a log barn and a saw mill on the East sitle of the stream, 
about where the grist mill is to-dav. 

Father bought thirty acres of land of Mr. Putnam and it was 
what is now called the Washburn place. Flere he built a house, 
making the second frame house in the settlement. We moved into 
this as soon as it was readv. 

The people ^vho lived here when we came were ^Iv. Cook, wife, 
and four cliildren ; Mr. Joshua Putnam, wife, and five children ; 
Joseph Houlton, wife, and three children ; James Houlton, wife, 
and child ; Ebenezer Warner, who had married Polly Houlton, 
and one child, and they lived in Sam Houlton's log house ; Dr. 
Samuel Rice, wife, and two children ; Aaron Putnam, wife, 
mother, and four children. With him also lived Joseph Good- 
enough, whom he took to bring up, before he left Massachusetts, 
and his own mother whose maiden name was Lydia Trask ; Put- 
nam Shaw, and his sister Hannah Shaw lived at Dr. Rice's, for 
they were cousins to Mrs. Rice and Joshua Putnam ; Greenleaf 
Kendall with his brother Samuel, and sister Sally were living here, 
and were nephews and neice of ISIrs. Rice. 

In this summer they told us that the officer in command of the 
British troops at Fredericton sent a sergeant and squad of men to 
disarm the settlers and so ksep the peace on the border. There 
were no fire-arms in the settlement except a fowling piece belong- 
ing to James Houlton. The sergeant stated his orders and Air. 
Houlton said in his peculiar way, 'Yes, yes, by jolly, you can't 
have that I' Pie did not ijet it." 



FRANK L. COOK, 

BookMiArb Sbore, 
FIRST NATIDNAl BANK BUTJING, 



NEW STORE! • • NEW GOODS! 

A F"uLL Line of 

Boohs, Stationery, 

BlmiTc Bools, Fancy Goods, 

Teachers- a7id Scliolai's'' Supines, 

Boom Ba/per and Curtains, 

AT BOSTON AND BANGOR PRICES! 



Artists' -^b 


Mater 


Uils ^ a -^i' 


S2)eek(lty. 


Pictures Framed 


to Order. 






TJie Latest 


Papers and Periodicals. 




Pianos and Oi 


^'-ans Sold on Liberal Terms. 






Orders taken 


for Book Pindino-. 


>egrANYTHING NOT 


IN STOCK WILL BE ORDERED PROMPTLY. 


You will find 


my store the 


right place to buy an 


ything in the 




above 


lines of goods. 








F^AQK 


L. GOOll. 



When you want to find the LOWEST prices on 

GR(DGEF^ieS-}rS§-}'PROVISIOQS, 

You can find them at 




FIRST DOOR EAST OF THE 
POST-OFFICE. 



One of the easiest places in Iloulton to find. We have oneof the largest 
stocks of the above mentioned goods in Aroostook, and we guarantee 
all goods sold by us to be of the best quality; if not we will cheerfully 
refund your money. We handle numerous br:inds of FLOUR— patents 
of all kinds - but our 

"Silver Leaf" is tine Daisy! 

Try a barrel. It w-)u't cost vou anything if it is not just .as we recommend 
it. We are selling heaps of it. In regard to 

<^\ TEAS p.^^ COFFEES |[^- 

We are selling an immense quantity, and think that prick and qu.\l.lTY does the work. 

If you have not tried a pound of our Buffalo Chop Formosa Oolong Tea, or a 

pound of our Standard Java Coffee, you ought to at once. You can 

have it on the same conditions as our Silver Leaf Flour. 

EnglisH BreaKfast Tea, esc. per nml Five Pounas for Si.oo. 
See ttie iHolasses we are selling at 40c. per Gallon. 



Come in and see us, and if we can't prove to you that we are 
We will pay you for your trouble. 



J'oiirs rcspcctfitU) 



GILLIN BROTHERS. 



# # # # , # # 

The subscriber takes pleasure in filling a page in 
this onr Town's History. 

Having been here since 1875, and the first i)ioneer 
to estal^lish an exclusively Ready-Made CLOTHixa 
House (the first in the County) , he has, through toil 
and calculation done his best to satisfy his fellow citi- 
zens, and the public, iu continually watcMng the 
progress of the trade, to keep pace with the times, 
and by it has received their liberal patronage. 



I hope to continue in this line of duty, and thank 
my patrons and the public. 

Respectfully, 

M. SCHMUCKLER, 

^^ THE LBRGEST STOCK IN THE COD>TY, f 

No. 66 Brick Block, Hoiilton, Maine. 



SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 

To the People of Hoidtoii and vicinity : 

AVe would respectfully call your attention to our stock of 

BOOTa SHOKS, HATS, CAP^ 

GENTS' FURNISHINGS, cfeC. 



We have the most popular makes, viz. : 
E.C.Burt, Boland & Spinney, A. F. & J. X. Smith, A. P. Tapley, A. F. Cox, Etc. 



A full line of the Standard Amos P. Tapley Boots 
always in stock. 



-A Full Line of 



"SOL^R TIP" SHOKS. 

THEY ARE THE BEST. EVERY PAIR WARRANTED. 

Laaies', Oeqts', {Hisses' anil diilflien's 

Ask to see our Boys' and Youths' "FEARLESS" 
Positively the best Shoe in the market for the 
price. We will be pleased to have you call. 

J. H. WINGATE, 

BLtUE STOt^E. HOUliTON, WHINE. 



THE PROPRIETeRS ANB FIRST 
SETTLERS. 



CHAPTER III. 

There is a distinclion to be noted here, in that, while the first 
settlers were all proprietors, the proprietors of the New wSalem Grant 
were not all settlers on the lands. vSonie who bought in, at the first, 
soon sold out, while others who continued to own the lands during 
their lifetime never came to the Grant, and one or two merely 
made brief visits. 

To set this matter in order it will be well to reprint again from 
the County Records. In Volume 2, Page 7, of the old Records 
is found the copy of the transaci^tions of the purchasers of the New 
Salem Gi"ant. These transactions cover quite a space of time and 
include various endeavors to get a sui"vey of the lands, and also the 
accounts connected with assessments on the owners. The Import- 
ant entries are the following : 

New- Salem, Mass., May 14th, 177'J. 

The Purchasers of the New vSalem Grant, Joel Foster, Abraham 
Pearce, Benjamin Hascall, John Chamberlin, Samuel Kendall, 
Samuel Pearce, Ikl, Varney Pearce, Joseph Houlton, John Put- 
nam, Aaron Putnam, Consider Hastings met and chose Samuel 
Kendall, Moderator, Joel Foster, Clerk. Voted to choose two men 
agents to locate the lands. Choice was made of Varney Pearce 
and Joseph Houlton. 

Januai-y 1st, 1800. Purchasers met and voted $30.00 to each 
man, in full for services. 

April 17, IHOO. Again voted to choose two agents to go and 
locate the half township of land. Joseph Houlton and John 
Putnam were selefted, and voted to raise $;')()0 to meet the ex- 
pense. 

June* 1st, ISOl. Voted to raise $200 for the purpose of survey- 
ing the half township. Voted that Joseph Houlton be agent to 



survey said township, and to give him $1 .00 per day for his ser- 
vices while employed in the business. Voted that the agent ma}- lay 
out the half township into square lots of 160 acres each, and divide 
it, bv hits and half lots, into 20 equal sliares according to the qual- 
ity of the land, at his discretion, reserving two lots from the whole 
for public uses. 

November l<Sth, l.SOl. Voted to accept the division of the half 
township made by Joseph Houlton, agent, and to draw for the 
rights or shares as he has reported, viz. : two lots and three half 
lots to each share. Voted to choose an agent to prepare a petition 
in behalf of the proprietors, and in conjunction with any others, 
to the legislature for aid from the government to make a road from 
the Penobscot river to the St. John. Rev. Joel Foster was chosen 
agent. 

The record of the original drawing then occurs, and resulted as 
below. The numbers represent the respective shares. "Abi"aham 
Pearce, 11, 2. ; Benjamin Hascall, o, y ; Varney Pearce, S, IT) ; 
John Chamberlain, 20, 1 G ; Geo. Shephard, 10; Samuel Pearce, 
;^d, 4 ; Thomas Powers, 1) ; John Putnam, 1, 11) ; Joel Foster, 13 ; 
Consider Hastings, (5; Joseph Houlton, 14, 12; Joshua Putnam, 
17, 18; Aaron Putnam, 7." Geo. Shephard, in same meeting, 
transferred his share to Aaron Putnam ; Joel Foster his to Varnev 
Pearce and Aaron Putnam, and Abraham Pearce his shares, also, 
to Aaron Putnam. 

The number of shareholders at tlie ck)se of that meeting was 
ten, but before the giving of the deed already rejDroduced in Chap- 
ter I, the names of Hascall and Pearce, 3d, have disappeared, and 
those of Wm. Bowman and Rufus Cowles have taken their places. 
The ten men who undertook the settlement of the Grant, and thus 
became the founders of our town were, as described in the formal 
and statelv language of the olden time : 
"Aaron Putnam on the premises. Yeoman. 

Varnev Pearce of New .Salem, Esquire. 

Joseph Houlton on the premises, Esquire. 

John Putnam of New Salem, Gentleman. 

Joshua Putnam of New Salem, Yeoman. 

Rufus Cowles of Amherst, Physician. 

John Chamberlain of New Salem, Yeoman. 

Wm. Bowman of Hadley, Y'eoman. 

Consider Hastings of New Salem, Gentleman. 

Thomas Powers of Greenwich, Esquire." 

Of these proprietors two had already become settlers and a third, 
Joshua Putnam, moved on to the Grant just after the deed was 
drawn. None of the others became settlers. Varnev Pearce vis- 



ited the Grant in the snmmer of 1810, for his name, with that of 
Joseph Houlton, are the witnesses on one of the oldest deeds. 
John Putnam may possibly have made a visit to the Grant. After 
his death three of his children moved to the Houlton Plantation. 
Dr. Cowles deeded all of Ids hind except two half lots to Amherst 
Academy as a part of the original endowment of $50,000.00. Of 
the two half lots, the North half of 34 was deeded to Amos Pearce, 
August 8th, 1820. This is the lot still known as the Pearce home- 
stead. Joshua Putnam bought the other half lot a few years later, — 
the Jno. Green farm. 

The heirs of John Chamberhdn deeded all their rights and titles 
to Nathan Holden of New Salen:;, on Januarv IDth, 1807. Eleazar 
Packard of New Salem married Lucinda Holden, daughter of Na- 
than, as his second wife, and moved onto the Holden lands in tlie 
year 181 G. Out of one of the Holden lots was sold the land for 
the Hancock Barracks, and another became the Green Kendall 
homestead, now the property of A. W. Ingersol. 

Varnev Pearce deeded some of his lots to difierent parties, and 
after his death, about 1822, his executor, Samuel Pearce, conveyed 
the balance to Abraham Pearce, who became a settler on them. 

Wm. Bowman had bought the share of Samuel Pearce, 3d, 
though the deed is not on record, and the fact can be known bv the 
allusions in the Bowman conveyances. These were to .Samuel 
Rice of New Salem, by deed of June 21st, 1807, witnessed before 
Varney Pearce, Esq., which conveyed Lot 48, and the South half 
of 82, or the Tenney farm so-called ; and to Varnev Pearce the 
remainder of the share, February 28th, 1821. Consider Hastings 
conveyed to Samuel Pearce, 2d, but the records do not show de- 
tails. Samuel Kendall eventually bought the share. Thomas 
Powers deeded the North half of Lot 35 to Amos Putnam, Febru- 
ary 11th, 1826. This is the farm of Mr. David Hnnagan. The 
record of his other conveyances is not at hand. The shares of 
Benjamin Hascall were sold to Rufus Cowdes of Amherst, though 
here again there is no record of the transaction. 

This array of detail is needed to set forth carefully the beginning 
of this settlement, and to show^ who and what manner of people 
had put themselves to the task of causing "the wilderness to blos- 
som as the rose." To rightly estimate these men and women 
whom Grandmother found here, in the woods, we must revert again 
to the conditions of the country at large, and of the legislative 
grant. 

It was the gloomy uncertain period before the war of 1812, 
when commercial enterprise and speculation were at the lowest 
ebb. The act of the Legislature required that six families should 



be settled on the lands within five years or the con\'evance would 
be void. This Grant had no value as timber land, for it had not 
become possible to operate so far inland. The men who at first 
came forward and drew the shares no doubt expected soon to sell 
them at an advance, but the buyers did not come. The rumors of 
war, the long distance through the dreary wilderness, antl the al- 
ready westward movement to Ohio checked an\' attempt at specu- 
lative use of the land. It began to seem as though the legislative 
aid to the New Salem Academy would be bootless from lack of 
any possibility of complying with the requirements. The records 
show some steps taken toward developement of the land ; and the 
one step out of which all the future course became possible was 
the appointment of Joseph Houlton as surveyor of the Grant. 

The New Salem Academy and the purchasers of the Grant had 
common reason to think well of t'aeir townsjnan and associate, and 
the people of the Po'.vn of Houlton, to-day, can revere the mem- 
ory of their large viewed, large hearted founder. When his name 
first appears in these transactions Mr. Houlton was in the prime of 
his life, in the possession of a good farm in New Salem, and of 
other property besides. He held the ofiice of Justice of the Peace 
and his judgment was relied upon by his neighbors. He had a 
knowledge of surveying, was skilful in the use of tools, and of the 
versatile al)iliiy to adapt himself to the needs of his situation 
wherever he might be placed. A fine and true specimen of that 
New England stock which has made the United States. In all 
those early transail^tions he figures, now with one associate, then 
with another, to locate the Grant, and finally, when there was ap- 
parently but little hope apart from him, he was selected, single and 
alone, to survey and lot the Grant, with the additional duty of as- 
signing the shares according to the quality of the land, "at his 
discretion." When thus put to the point of this work he had not 
thought of emigrating to this section, for he had bought a farm on 
the Susquehanna River and was looking in that dii"ection for the 
new home of his growing family. 

'Record is silent on all the points involved in the location of this 
Grant, but it is e\'ident that in the summer of IMOl Mr. Houlton 
must have visit^^cl tliis region, for in the fall of that sear his allot- 
ment of the land was accepted, the shares were drawn, and the 
first efiort made towards getting a road from the Penobscot river. 
After this date the strait of the Academy and of its friends became 
the greatest. No money had been realized on absolute sales. The 
purchasers were friends of the school who wished to save the State 
aid if they could, but the settlers were not forthcoming. One year 
after another passed and the crisis was at hand, for the grant woidd 



soon lapse if something was not done. In whose mind the sug- 
gestion first arose which solved the situation, saved the Grant to 
the Academy, and made the Town of Houlton we now do not 
know, but it is niore than likely that it came, almost as an intuition, 
to that heroic woman, and "Mother in Israel," Lydia Trask Put- 
nam, who with her horse and saddlebags became such a chivalric 
figure on the stage of events in the, now, shadowy years of the in- 
fant settlement. She was the fitting daughter of a hero, lor her 
father died with Wolfe in the Old French War, and her first born 
son, whom she was nursing on her lap when the tidings of her 
father's death came home, imbibed the spirit of his grandsire to 
the degree that, when the rally was made, around Boston after the 
battle of Lexington, though a mere stripling, he rushed toward the 
pray only to fall and die by the way through imprudent exposure. 

At the time of the Academy Grant she was a widow with five 
children living. Aaron, her youngest son, with whom she lived, 
was one of the purchasers. Hannah, her oldest daughter, was the 
wife of Varney Pearce. another owner ; and Sarah, her second 
daughter, was the wife of Joseph Houlton. We can well conceive 
the mother as saying to her sons and daughters : "This plan must 
not fail. If the men connefted with you are faint hearted, buy 
them out, or get some other friends of the school to take their places, 
who can provide means to pay for those shares. Then let us tiun 
over these farms, here, to the Academy, and ourselves go and ful- 
fil the terms of the Grant. The Academy can sell these lands and 
we can live on those. I have seen that done. I have already made 
one home out of the forrest and can do it again." vSuch suggestions 
of such a mother to her children were not unheeded. Joseph 
Houlton and Aaron Putnam said, "It shall be done." Mr. Houl- 
ton had admired the forest when here, and had concluded that the 
soil underneath must be strong and fertile. He even preferred this 
location to the Pennsylvania Valley, and drew back from that ven- 
ture to try his career at the eastward. Mr. John Putnam was an 
uncle to Aaron and Mrs. Houlton, and brother of Joshua Putnam. 
These two Putnam households furnished the necessary families to 
hold the Grant, and thev and their associates named in the deed, 
made up the sum of $5,000.00 which was passed to the credit of 
the Institution. 

Lydia Trask Putnam, her son Aaron, her two sons-in-law, Jo- 
seph Houlton and Varney Pearce, her nephews John and Joshua 
Putnam, and their sister Betsey with her husband Dr. Samuel Rice, 
were the family group from which came the name and chara6ter 
of our town. 

Of Mr. Houlton's family connections the materials in hand give 



\evy little information except that when a boy he did chores at the 
home of his Grandfathei" who was away in the army of the Revol- 
ution. He needs no ancestry to hold him up. His career through 
life showed him to be a well balanced sagacious man, a natural 
leader. The Putnam famih* to which he was allied bv marriage 
was of the Old Salem stock which counted illustrious names in the 
earlv annals of the country. Of the immediate family under con- 
sideration, three brothers, Uzziel, Amo^ and Joshua, were the pio- 
neers out of Old Salem into New Salem, Massachusetts. Uzziel 
was the oldest and was Deacon of the Congregational Church in 
that place. His grandson, Putnam vShaw, was the only member 
of his family who came to Houlton to live. Air. .Shaw himself be- 
came Deacon of the Congregational Church in Houlton, and spent 
the later years of his life on his farm in Hodgdon. 

Amos Putnam was the husband of Lydia Trask, and died before 
the year 1800. His oldest son and namesake, Amos, fell in the 
War as stated. His second son, Jacob, remained in New Salem, 
and the youngest son, Aaron, with wife and mother^ came to the 
new settlement. Aaron had married Miss Isa Patrick of Weston, 
a lady of good family, who had taught school. 

Joshua Putnam had two sons, John and Joshua, Jr., and two 
daughters, Betsey wdao married Samuel Rice, and Eunice who 
married Samuel Kendall. 

Mr. John Putnam had two sons, Joshua and John Varnum. who 
came to Houlton some ten years after the settlement, and two 
daughters, Eunice who married James Ballard and came with her 
brothers to Houlton, and Sally who married a Mr. Sawin of Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 

Mr. Joshua Putnam, brother of John, with his family joined in 
the migration to Houlton. His wife was Miss Betsey Baker of 
Bakersheld, Alass., and she had seen the whole pioneer life of that 
settlement before coming this way. She too, doubtless, helped in 
the solution of the settlement question, for she said to all, "I am 
not afraid to go into the woods, I know all about it." In this fam- 
ily there were six sons and two daughters. The oldest daughter, 
Fanny, died at the age of twenty-two, and at the time was engaged to 
be married to Amos Pearce. Harriet was the name of the other 
daughter, \yho never married, and died in Houlton. Of the boys, 
John died when at school at Limerick ; Joseph died in Houlton, 
and is buried by the side of his father ; Franklin married Mary 
Rice, antl moved to the West ; James married Chmena Stanley of 
Monticello, and mo\ed away ; Sterne married Hannah Townsend 
of New Salem, whose acquaintance he formed while at school 
there. Romaine, the oldest son, never married. He entered Bow- 



doin College in the class of 1829, but did not join his class. He 
subsequently went to Australia where he died. vSterne Putnam 
made the clearing on Lot 47, on the Military Road in Houlton, but 
more than fort}- years ago moved back with his famih' and his mother 
to Massachusetts, and then again to Minnesota, where he died. 

Dr. Samuel Rice had married Miss Elizabeth Putnam. He was 
a physician in good practice in New Salem when be bought into 
the Bowman share in 1807. Their children were four. Mary who 
married her cousin Franklin ; Elizabeth who married in Eastport ; 
Charles who became a physician in the Province ; and Samuel who 
entered the ministry and went to Canada. Dr. Rice moved with 
his lamily to Woodstock in 1828. 

January 21st, 180!), John Putnam conveyed to Phinehas Stevens 
of New Salem, the North half of Lot of). This vStevens was a 
young man who was brought up in Mr. Putnam's family and came 
to Houlton with his aunt Mrs. Rice. April 10th, IS 14, Joshua 
Putnam deeded to him the South half of the same lot. After a 
few years he married Charity Gray, a young woman from Wake- 
field, N. B., who came over and worked in the family of Dr. Rice. 
April 17th, LSIS, Stevens sold the South half of :)r>' to E. Pack- 
ard, and shortly afterwards moved over to the Province. This lot 
was bought of Packard the same year b}' Green Kendall, and now 
forms a part of the Ingersol propert}'. 



THE FIRST MOVES. 



CHAPTER lA^ 



The way is now clear to put in order the movements of the first 
comers to the Grant. To appreciate these removals in their l"ull 
significance it must be born in mind that the entl of the journe\" 
was one hundred miles beyond Oldtown, with not a mile of road 
above that point, or even a spotted line. From the Passamaquod- 
dy Bay it was more than eighty miles, through equally trackless 
wilds, and the only feasible access was via the St. Jolm river. vSea- 
going crafts coidd reach Frederi6ton, and thence to Woodstock re- 
course could be had to canoes, or boats towed by horses. This 
was a journey of sixty miles, and from Woodstock, due West^ the 



distance of twelve miles intervened before the East line of the 
Grant was fonnd. 

By vote of the pnrchasers of the Grant, Mr. Honlton was dire6led 
to snrvey and lot the lands, l)ut it appears, in all the records,- that 
the work in this Grant, as well as others near b^•, was done by 
Park Holland, Esq. Of the snbseqnent career of Esqnire Hol- 
land nothinj^ conies into the history of the town, but it is \vorthy 
of note that he died in Bangor in 1H44, at the age of ninety-two. 
On his monument in Mount Hope Cemeteiy, is this inscription : 

" He served in the War of the Revolution as Lieutenant in the Fifth Regiment of Massa- 
chusetts; and in grateful memory of that service the Massachusetts Society of the Cincin- 
nati has caused this stone to be erected, A. D. iSSS." 

Lieutenant Holland was one of the original members of that 
branch of the Cincinnati. 

In the summer of l-SO.') Mr. Aaron Putnam made his plans to 
move out and find t'.ie new home. The land was not yet deeded 
to the proprietors, for it is uncertain whether the ten final buyers, 
at this time, had made their compadt. But the Grant was made, 
the Committee of the Trustees to convey to the proprietors had 
been appointed the October preceding, and the Committee of the 
Legislatiu'e had conveyed the lands to the Trustees' Committee on 
Februarv 21 st, l.SO.'). The Legislative Act was passed June llJth, 
1801, and l)ut one vear remained in which to make valid the pos- 
session. 

Whv Mr. Piunam and his family went first does not appear, but 
such was the fa6t. From Boston they sailed to the mouth of the 
St. John, and then up to Fredericton. Here they embarked in a 
small craft, and after a tedious passage landed at Woodstock. This 
point of the landing was some few miles below the present town. 
At this place the goods and eB'ects were housed, and the family re- 
mained while the young men of the company went on through the 
woods and took possession of certain lots liy felling trees. Mr. 
Putnam now varied from his first plan, and instead of beginning 
life in the woods, as soon as the camps could be built, he began 
storekeeping on the bank of the river. At this time his oldest son, 
Amos, was nine years of age, and the second. Jay Stilhnan, three. 
The trading operation continued four years, and tradition hands 
down the report that it was not a success. There was other and 
better work for Aaron Putnam than the petty life of a small trader. 
A third son, Lysander, was born in their house September 21st, 
1806. 

It may not be amiss in passing frcMii the Putnam family to the 
next pioneer group, to recall the experience of both the leading 
men in the summer of 1804, wdien they made a trip to the Acade- 



my lands. It was an experience very similar to that of Air. 
Wormwood's, a few years later, and is a second illnstration of 
the hardships svuTOunding the ellorts to locate and people the new 
region. Messrs. Putnam and Houlton, with a third man in com- 
pany, hired an Indian with his canoe to take them through the wil- 
derness to the St. John river. It would almost appear that it was 
the same doubtful guide who misled Mr. Wormwood so badly, for 
at the head of the Barkahegan stream he wanted to leave them af- 
ter telling them the vv^ay. The men were incautious enough to let 
him go and trust to their own skill, but it was almost a fatal mis- 
take. After making the carry to the vSchoodic Lake, and striking 
into the woods on the East side, they were soon lost. They wan- 
dered about for a number of days and soon got out of food. h\. 
this extremity, at the crossing of a brook, they made a dip net of a 
shirt and managed to scoop up a few fish which saved them irom 
starvation. For miles and miles they wandered, but managed, by 
some good chance, to work in an Easterly dire6tion, and when 
very much exhausted they at last came into the settlement on the 
.St. John, thirty-five miles below Woodstock. They came to the 
house of the parents of Mrs. Stephen PuUen who was a little girl 
at the time. She said the men looked so badly that she was terri- 
bly frightened by them, — clothes torn, faces and hands scratched 
and bruised, and eyes sunken. The good woman fed them spar- 
ingly on some fresh salmon, and they began to rally at once. 

There was good reason why, in the next year, the family re- 
moval was by sea and river. 

In April, 1807, occurred the migration of the Houlton family. 
As this was the leading family in numbers and influence, it deserves 
particular mention in detail. The peculiar traits of Mr. Houlton 
have been alluded to, and it is already seen how fitted in personal 
characteristics he was for the position of leader in the new colony. 
His wife, as stated, was Sarah, sister of Aaron Putnam, and they 
had a family of eight children at the time of the departure. The 
oldest child, also named Sarah, had married vSamuel Cook wdio 
lived for a time in Monmouth, Maine. They and their two chil- 
dren, Polly and William, went to Boston to join the rest of the 
family. James Houlton, the second child, was married on the 
dav of their leaving New Salem, to Sarah Haskell. The other 
children were Polly, Lydia, Louisa, Samuel, Joseph Jr., and 
Henry. Mr. Houlton was a man of property, and the arrange- 
ments for the new life were very complete. They brought not only 
the ordinary outfit of common housekeeping, but china and silver- 
ware ; wheat to sow in the field, flower seeds, peony bulbs, and all 
sorts of medicinal herbs were also packed up and brought along. 



At Boston they embarked upon a schooner, chartered for the pur- 
pose, and after battling \vith adverse elements for six weeks, they 
reached Fredericton in the middle of May. When they arrived at 
Woodstock Air. Houlton left his wife and younger children there, 
and with one or two of the older boys pushed right on to put in a 
crop for that season. The chosen spot was on Lot 14, just across 
the Cook Brook, and near the present highway. With his ac- 
customed energy and directness of ehort he got in quite a piece of 
wheat and planted a patch of potatoes, the forerunners of the im- 
mense yield of to-dav. 

In the latter part of August Mrs. Houlton told her daughter 
Lydia, then fourteen years old, that she was tired of staying there 
in Woodstock alone, a.nd they too would go to the clearing and 
see her husband and the boys. Mrs. Houlton rode horseback 
carrying a basket on her arm which contained the china tea set, 
and had a feather pillow strapped to the saddle. Her nephew, 
Amos Putnam, came with them to act as guide through the devious 
bridle path, for about ten miles. Then they were obliged to leave the 
horse and go the rest of the way on foot. The father and his bovs 
knew nothing of this visit and while busy cutting the wheat sud- 
denly heard the sound of voices. In the little clearing in the midst 
of the dense forest, the unexpected sound was at first startling, but 
after a moment's listening Air. Houlton said, "That is Sarah's 
voice ; your mother ha& come," and they all rushed into the woods 
to meet them. 

Tradition, which may not be fully verified, says that they in- 
duced "mother" to push on up the hill, quite a little distance, where 
* there was a fine spring, and after yielding to their solicitations as 
long as she could, at last she said she could go no farther and sat 
down. A camp of shelter was made, and eventually, on that spot 
the log house was built. Upon the completion of this the family, 
all came over, and it is probable that James built his own house 
the same season. Mrs. Houlton was a notable house keeper, her 
husband was a good mechanic, and the house, though of rough 
logs without, was finished and furnished in excellent method in- 
side. The Houlton house, with the log structure and later, the 
frame house which still stands, became famed for good cheer and 
inviting hospitality. This house stood on Lot 21, and Mr. Cook 
settled upon 14, where the first wheat was grown. That lot still 
is the home of the family. Mr. William Cook, whose life ante- 
dotes the settlement, still lives at his home in the corner of 20. Of 
this family the daughter Fanny was born while they tarried at 
Woodstock, and seven more children were born in Houlton. 

Mr. James Houlton's first house undoubtedly stood just about 



where now is the house of Supt. Martin ol" the Extract Works. 
In that household their eldest daughter, Caroline, was the first 
child born in the settlement. She died at the age of sixteen. 
There were eight children in all in this family, i^olly Houlton 
married Ebenezer Warner and lived at first in the log house of her 
brother Samuel. This house was on the site of the N. B. R'y Sta- 
tion. L3'dia, who was her mother's attendant on that first trip to 
the new home, married Isaac Smith of Woodstock. For some 
years their abode was in the Parish of Richmond, but, as Mrs. 
Smith had a strong wish to live near her parents, Mr. Smith sold 
that farm to Charles Wolhaupter, and bought the farm where he 
subsequently died. Louisa married a New Salem man by the 
name of Tliompson and removed to that town. Samuel Houlton 
married Sally Kendall, and their family numl)ered five or six. 
This whole household moved away from the town seven years ago. 
Joseph Jr. married Ahnira Ray. She died here, but the rest of 
the family moved to the West. Henry Houlton, the youngest 
child, was engaged to Miss Ellen White, but she died before they 
were married. Henry became a successful and enterprising busi- 
ness man and soon accumulated quite a property. He was stricken 
with paralysis at the early age of thirty-five and remained an in- 
valid to the time of his death in 1856. 

In the second year of the settlement Mr. Houlton built a rude 
sort of a grist mill wiiere anyone could grind that chose to. Aside 
from this their dependence was upon hand mills, or by tedious 
journey to Fredericton. 

In the same year, or 1808, Mr. Houlton was appointed Register 
of Deeds for the Northern District of Washington County, by Gov- 
ernor Sullivan. This position he held till the time of his death. 

September 5th, 180D, a petition was drawn up and signed ask- 
ing the Legislature of Massachusetts to incorporate the signers into 
a town, to be called Houlton. There is a sort of grim humor that 
runs through the prayer. At one place it reads, " We are sen- 
sible that we have the priviledge of going to the next Incorporated 
Town, but when your honors turn your attention for a moment to 
our local situation, being one hundred and ten miles from any In- 
corporated Town, and that through a wilderness without a road, 
our advantage dwindles into nothing." Again, "We are sensible 
that it is the usual custom to require an ' Order of Notice ' before an 
Act of Incorporation is passed, but when our situation is taken into 
view, that our being Incorporated or not being Incorporated con- 
cerns none but ourselves, we hope the usual custom of notifycation 
will be dispensed with, and the Act of Incorporation granted." 

Seven signers joined in the petition and a postscript at the bot- 



torn of the sheet recorded the fact, " Four families, Aaron Putnam 
moved since the Petition was drawn." Notwithstanding the Pe- 
titioners' seemed to have so strong a case, the Committee, next Feb- 
ruarv reported that the Petitioners' have leave to withdraw. 

It was in this year that Mr. John Putnam, as well as Aaron, 
moved to Houlton. The location of this familv at the first was on 
the Lot 15, just across from the Cook clearing. They afterwards 
lived, for a time, on 40, or the Trueworthy farm. Aaron Putnam 
pushed on through all these clearings, dov.n the hill, across the thick 
cedar swamp where is now the square, and over the stream, before 
he located. His first log house was built about half way from the 
present bridge up to the site of his large frame house now the prop- 
erty of B. H. Putnam. 

In the summer of IMK) he built the first mill dam, and it was 
washed away and rebuilt a number of times before it became fixed 
pcrmanentlv- 

In Julv the house caught fire from a chopping of fifty acres near 
by, and with all its contents was soon consumed. It was a hard 
blow and a great loss, but the settlement rallied the next day and 
out of the green trees of the morning, Mrs. Putnam had a furnish- 
ed house at night. 

Dr. Rice came with his fomily in 1811 and settled on the South- 
west corner of 32, or near that corner of the Brick Block. Three 
of the children of Dea. Samuel Kendall came with ]Mrs. Rice, for 
she ^vas their aunt. 

In the autumn of 1812 Air. Wormwood reached the settlement, 
after his perilous wanderings. He began at once to build good 
houses for the settlers, and in the next year his own family reached 
the place, as Grandmother has told. 

September 7th, 1814, Dea. Kendall and the rest of his family 
left New Salem for Houlton. Mr. Edwin Townsend was in com- 
pany with them. Their first log house was on 39, just across the 
street from the Foundry. This soon after gave place to a better 
frame house. In this family were three sons, Joshua G., com- 
monly spoken of as Green Kendell, Samuel Jr., and Joseph; and 
three daughters, Sarah who married vSamuel Houlton, Eliza who 
married Leonard Pierce, Esq., and Nancy who married Samuel 
Bennett. 

Into Aaron Putnam's household now came the fourth and last 
child. The oldest son, Amos, married Miss Christiana Worm- 
wood. The second. Jay, married Miss Betsey Broad. Lysander 
married Mrs. Ruth L. Fall, and Aaron R. married Maria Bur- 
leisrh. 



»-lk., 



WmW STUEET, - POLTO^, IHHINE. 



Carriage Trimmijig of all kinds done in a workmanlike man- 
ner^ at prices to snit the times. 

E. MERRITT & SONS, 

Grocers, IHillers ann Wliolesale Deaieis 



Pol^atoes, Mag, Grain ^^ Short Lumber. 



PROPRIETORS HOULTON FLOUR AND PLASTER MILLS 

AND 

HOULTON INCANDESCENT LIGHT. 



Ira G. Hersey, Ransford W. Shaw, 

Notary Public. Register of Probate. 



HKRSKY & SHAW, 

Attorneys * and * Counsellors ^ at * I^aw, 

BricK BlocK, over E. ffierritt S; Soris, 



Cl)a^. P. Ter)r)ey, 

BRIGK BUOeK, - - - - HSaLTON, MAINE, 

Has a Large Stock of - 

*DRY * GOODS * 



To D^eeb bl)e wai^b.s of his i)un)erous pabroi^s, apd is coi)- 

?bai)bly ei)deavorii)^S bo iT^eeb bbeir approval by keep- 

ir,<^ bbe besb 6ood,s po^^ible ir, bl)e class waijbed. 



-*- 



The Large Trade in- 



Boots, Shoes and Rubber Foot Wear 

Which he has succeeded in establishing, attests in 
the strongest manner 

To the Excellent Quality of his Good s, 

To the Extensive \'arictv of his Sto ck, 

And to his Reasona ble Prices. 

Mis Lines of ■ 

Hats, Gaps ^i Genius' Furnishing Goods 

Are in Various Qualities, and at 

^g^ POPULA^^ # PRICES ! # 



Also, Sleigh Robes, Fur Coats, Horse Blankets, 
Camp Spread and Blankets. 



J^\ # BUY YOUH » ~ |^ 



Groceries, 


Flour, 


Pork, 



olasses. 



Tea 



Coffee 



E. 



•i 



IWCEJOMA.IVIC STneEET, 



tiOULTON, ' - - jVLAINK. 



^^ -r 



^ 



ISi;! 



= 00013 JVE>X^^^ = 

To THE Lady Artists of Houlton and 
Surrounding Towns. 

I wish to inform you that I liave now in stock, from Manufafturers in Chicago and Boston, 

THE RICHEST I3ESIQNS 



Gold, Silver, Bronze, Ivory, Walnut, Oak, Cherry and Plush 



.-^1 



*-r 



I moUliDHSlGS |[^ 



Q)Q)&&&&&&(^Q) 



Ever offered for inspeftion in Aroostook County. In COMBINATIONS I can produce over 
lOO different styles of Frames for Portraits or Ci'omos. I use oulif flic licst Oiitiliti/ 
of atrninn Glass. To make frames promptly I have the BEST MITRE CUT- 
TERS IN USE; a PATENT VICE to make perfeft corners. With my im- 
proved cutters I can furnish a frame complete, ready for delivery, in ten min- 
utes, if necessary. Having had thirty years experience, I claim that I 
know how to use all waste pieces, while other dealers charge you for 
pieces considered useless. Will quote you the cost of Material, 
glass, «&c. I give to all leaving pictures a receipt for same, 
affix price, and deliver on presentation of the check. 

FOR THF HOI RBY TRtinF ^ '^■'^'^ ^'' I'-''"''"g*> '" f^'^h out Frames, Cromos, Pier 
rUq IjllL JIULliJfll IqilUC and Mantle Mirrors, Brackets, Wall Pockets, Foot Rests, 
Velvet Cabmet Frames, Easels, Carpet Sweepers, and a large variety of Second-hand Fur- 
niture and Stoves, Bedding, &c. 

PAQH Pllin *'"^ every kind of Old Furniture, Carpets, Stoves, Tin or Glass Ware, Lamps, 

' &c. In fadt I will purchase everything of any value. Hundreds of Dollars 

worth of such things are laying around the house or barn. Bring them in and get your money. 



JAiVIES ^RCHIB^LD, 

Attoriieij # and # Counsellor # at # Uiw, 

NOTARY PUBLIC. 
Over French's drug Store, - - . . HOULTON, MAINE. 



THE INFANT SETTLEMENr. 



CHAPTER V. 



The founding' of the town is now accomplished ; the leading 
families are in their places, and the work of development goes on. 
Even at these earliest years, the emigration from the Provinces be- 
gan. The first family from that direction which is usually spoken 
of is that of Mr. Wm. Williams, who settled on Lot 20, North of 
wdiat became the Garrison land. The movement of settlers from 
the Maritime Provinces and from the Old Countries through the 
Provinces has been kept up constantl}' to the present time. Alanv 
of the best and most successful men and families in Houlton, to- 
day, are descendants of that emigration, and it is possible that the 
larger part of the present population are of that origin rather than 
of the American stock. 

Dr. Rice was the first man to get out of the log house into the new 
fi"ame residence, for he employed Mr. Wormwood as soon as he 
got here, to do the work. This first frame building is remembered 
as the Tenney mansion, which stood where Mrs. West's house now 
is, and was burned in the fire of 1871). The next house built bv 
Mr. Wormwood was the Aaron Putnam mansion, which still stands 
in its renewed shape, across the bridge ; Capt. J. V. Putnam bought 
it, many years ago, and rebuilt it a short time before his death. 
Mr. Wormwood built but one other house before he removed to 
Woodstock, and that stood upon the site of the house now owned 
by E. S. F. Nickerson, the Washburn place. 

Woodstock began to build up rather faster than Houlton, and 
Mr. Wormwood deemed it better for his interests to go out there. 
He left the town in the fall of 1814, and settled at Upper Wood- 
stock. Here his wife died in April, 1817, and two of the children, 
Christiana and Priscilla, camcbackto Houlton and lived with iVaron 
Putnam's family. 

The first regular minister to visit the place was Rev. Edmund East- 



man of Limerick, who organized the First Congregational Church 
in the Plantation, October 13th, 1811. This man made one or two 
visits to the place, and o,n his way home was taken sick and died 
in Portland. Visits were made occasionally by peddlers and trad- 
ers from Bangor, who brought their goods upon their backs. 
Prices necessarily were high in the settlement, and the settlers in the 
l^rovinces, also, were ready to buy all that could be brought to 
them. 

In INK) began the hrst of those " cold years" which are still 
referred to as so severe and disastrous to all tnis Eastern country. 
Nothing planted could grow and ripen, for the frosts were constant 
and severe. In the Madawaska region snow fell in June to the 
depth of nine inches, and at Ploultonthe ground was covered white 
with it. The little birds which came up from the South with the 
advent of the summer months, were chilled and died in large num- 
bers. After the harvest time, and no grain had ripened, the price 
of flour went up to an alarming height. It became impossible for 
the common people to get any bread at all. The Government of 
New Brunswick had to come to the relief of the people, for rye 
flour was held at Fredericton at $17.00 per barrel. The Govern- 
ment supply was mostly the Southern cornbrouglit by vessel to St. 
John. 

In the second cold year the straits were severe. The family of 
Mr. Joshua Putnam were six weeks without a mouthful of bread 
of any kind in their house. The cows were able to live and gave 
their milk ; the maple trees gave the syrup and sugar ; and the 
stream was alive with the salmon. Had it not been for these most 
excellent fish, in such profusion, the settlers might have starved, 
in some cases. Mr. Iloulton liad some ready money about him all 
the time, and was able to provide for his household. The eldest 
son of Aaron Putnam was clerk in the Hotel at Fredericton and 
thus was able to get hold of and forward supplies to his father and 
fiimily. It was the exceeding good fortune of this settlement that 
the two leading households were such as they proved to be. 

They always had a sympathy for the needy ; and shared heart 
and hand for their relief. They were generous, unselfish men and 
women who lived not to themselves alone. Had they come here 
merely wrapped up in themselves and their own plans the settle- 
ment undoubtedly would have come to naught in those dreary, fro- 
zen seasons. 

But, "We are here together, for common purposes of life, and 
we will share the lot together. Do all you can to help yourselves, 
and we will see that the wives and children do not suffer." This 
was the watchword of those families as long: as their households 



lasted. In after years, when the emigrants' from the Old Country 
reached here, and nothing to help themselves with, they found 
yvork, help and encouragement from Esquire Hoidton and IMr. 
Putnam. 

When Mrs. Aaron Putnam died, old men and yvomen from the 
outer settlements, whom the most of the persons present at the 
funeral hardly knew at all, came and looked upon her features and 
stood there quite a time with the tears running down their furrowed 
cheeks. Thev were those whom she had befriended in long years 
ago, in their hours of extremity. 

It was through all these years of experiment, uncertainty, frost 
and weakness that Mrs. Lydia Putnam did her work of charity and 
benedicton. She had unusual skill in the compounding of med - 
cines from the roots and herbs, and lent herself to every call for 
assistance. She had a natural faculty for nursing, and of steady 
hand, and discriminating skill in the occasion of childbirth and 
dangerous crises of disease she was sought for from far and wide. 

She always rode on horseback with the saddlebags filled with 
remedies and appliances for the case of need. She was a woman 
of slight frame and slighter build, and her children would take her 
in their arms to place on the horse as she went, or carry into the 
house on her return. 

She kept to this work till past SO years of age, and, on the 
first of April, 1820, in response to a summons from the house of 
Isaac Smith in Woodstock, she mounted her horse and went over. 
She was present at the birth of our townsman, Mr. J. H. Smith, 
and on the way back to her home was too weary to go further than 
her daughter's home on the hill. She was taken down with fatal 
disease that night, and in seven days passed awa}'. She died at 87 
years of age, after a life of exceeding usefulness. Everyone who 
could get out to tlie funeral was present, and after the close of the 
services at the grave her son, Mr. Aaron Putnam, with much feel- 
ing in his voice thanked all the people for their great kindness to 
the dead and the living. 

In the height of the hardships of the cold years, Mr. Houlton 
determined to build his new house. The house is still standing 
though somewhat modernized in the main part. It is an historic 
building on more accounts than one, and it is to be hoped that fire 
or improvements will let it aloneformany years to come. It would 
seem that Mr. Houlton was his own carpenter and took quite a 
time to complete the building. Even in its unfinished condition it 
became the scene of notable events. Most prominent of these in 
the minds of the oldest people was the "Linemen's Ball," on the 
fourth of July 1817. The opportunity for such an unwonted scene 



of festivity grew out of the presence of the larg-e party of Com- 
missioners, Surveyors and Workmen, wlio at this time were at 
work upon the Boundary Line between the United States and New 
Brunswick. Sir Archibald Campbell and Mr. Bouchette — the 
latter a French Canadian — represented the British Goyernment, 
and Colonel TiuMier of Vermont, and Air. Johnson of Massachu- 
setts, appeared for the States. The party numbered some sixty 
in all, and made Houlton their headquarters. On the adjoining- 
height of Park's Flill was their principal observatory, and, as it is 
now understood, their Line ran near the foot of that hill, in the 
main, identical with the local Eastern bounds of these land grants 
as laid out by Esquire Holland sixteen years before. 

An old chronicler thus enumerated the superior advantages of 
Houlton for the rendez^'ous of such a distinguished party : " Thei'e 
was an excellent violinist in the place, and the choicest of liquors, 
which at that time seemed indispensable to festive occasions, and 
the strangers, now and then, met the citizens of Houlton in friendly, 
social pastime." The sage historian here shows that "One touch 
of nature which makes the world akin." 

As the [ulv days drew near the Commissioners of the survey and 
the Engineering staT gave notice of their purpose to celebrate the 
anniversary of Independence, and issued invitations to the residents 
of Houlton to meet them in Esquire Houlton's new house. The 
house at that date was finished outside, but within the whole lower 
floor was available for the festivities. Such a prospect set the 
hearts of the Houlton damesand damsels in a flutter, and as elabor- 
ate toilets were prepared as were possible. The young ladies 
dressed in white, and youngest of the young was "Grandmother" 
then hardly fourteen years old. 

The observance of the da\- began with the dinner in the new 
house, in preparation of which the cooks of the Commissioners did 
themselves credit and gave satisfaction to all. It is spoken of as 
"a most excellent dinner," but, unfortunately, the Bill of Fare has 
perished. Finally the evening drew on, and the house was ablaze 
with about all the available lighting apparatus of the town. The high 
officers shone in their uniforms, and the civilians were in full dress. 
Mr. Sam. Kendall rosined up his bow and thrummed his violin to 
make things right, and for the special occasion had imported "Old 
Billy Upham," as the girls st\ led him, from Woodstock to lend 
his aid inkeepingup the music. It had been rather quietly arranged 
that Miss Louisa Houlton should have the honor of leading in the 
first dance with Sir Archibald, but as the dance was called he 
stepped quickly across the floor to where "Grandma" was sitting, 
and to her intense delight said, " I wdll dance first with the little 



girl." The next time he gallantly escorted Miss Houlton to the 
floor, but soon sprained his loot which compelled his retiring from 
the festivities. 

The work on the survey did not continue much longer lor they 
were working under too vague instructions. That question of the 
"highlands" was to them a cause of dispute and destined to remain 
so a quarter of a century longer. Mr. Bouchette was quick tem- 
pered and easily flew into a passion. At length in the end of one 
dispute he challenged Col. Turner to a duel, and this appeal to mor- 
tal combat broke up the party. Tlie cedar post marked with the 
names of these Commissioners, and dates, still stands, or at least 
was standing a few years ago, at the head of the Monument Stream, 
close by the side of which was placed the iron pillar of the treaty of 
1842. 

In the next year a petition was drawn up and signed bv sixteen 
persons asking the Legislature that they might be incorporated in- 
to a Town by the name of Houlton, and that the Groton Academv 
Grant be included within the bounds of the new town. This Grant 
was the North half of the present town of Hodgdon. This petition 
like the similar one of eight years before, proved ineflectual. 

During the Fall of IS IX the Houlton house was used again for 
jDublic purposes. Rev. Seth E. Winslow had come to Houlton 
from Barre, Mass., to labor in the Plantation for a time, and the 
new house was the most suitable place for the meetings. He 
called together the few members of the church instituted by Rev. 
Mr. Eastman, and caused the addition of quite a number more. At 
a general meeting of the inhabitants of the place, October 10th, it 
was voted to invite Mr. Winslow to remain with them, and to 
raise and pay to him $400.00 annually, as his salarv. 

At the close of Divine service on Sunday, November 1st, in the 
presence of the congregation, Mr. Amos Putnam and Miss Chris- 
tiana J. Wormwood were married. Mr. W^inslow did not deem 
it his duty to remain longer in the settlement and declined the 
call. Grandmother and her husband began housekeeping in the 
log house vacated by Dr. Rice, and after a short stav moved over 
into her father's house above Aaron Putnam's. The house and 
place Amos bought of Mr. Wormwood, and they lived there till 
after their first child was born. Then he began a clearing on the 
South half of 35 which had been given to him by his Grandmother, 
and the farm remained the home of the family for sixty-six years. 
The Wormwood place was eventually sold to Jonah Dunn, Esq., 
who moved with his family into the town from Cornish, in 1826. 

The story of the infant settlement fittingly closes with the account 
of the coming of the Alorrison tamilv, for that household had bought 



in the Limerick Academv lauds, aiul then settling upon them gave 
the Houlton companv neighbors of another town. From one point 
of view the close of the iniant days might well be put on the burial 
of Lydia Trask Putnam. She had been, In the use of a strong 
hgure, "■the nursing mother'' of the whole community, and was 
taken from them like a shock of corn fully ripe, when they no 
longer was so closebs' dependent upon her untiring watch care. 

Mr. Samuel Morrison it is presumed was born in Wells, York 
Coimtv, Maine, and when but a stripling enlisted in the Revblu- 
tionarv Armv. It was his fortune to serve through the campaign 
against Burgovne, and he told with much pride, in after life, how 
he st'.)od in the ranks on the eventful morning of the surrender at 
Saratoga. "'We knew he must tight or surrender; and we would 
have whipped him if he had not surrendered." After he was dis- 
charged from the service he settled in Limerick, remaining there 
for manv vears. In the vear LSI (J as the records show he bought 
some land in what is now New Limerick. 

There is a story afloat in regard to this transaction that he re- 
ceived something in the way of bounty from the Government with 
which he bought the land. It was part of a Grant to the Trustees 
of Philips Limerick Academy, and the old deed is a quaint piece 
of composition. It furnishes a curious illustration of methods of 
lotting land before tlicre was an Eastern Boundary of the State, 
and there were no cabalistic letters "W. E. L. S." which could 
be used. The two half towns West of Houlton were laid out in 
ranges running from East to West and lettered in Limerick, A, B, 
C, D, E, F, beginning at the Northeast corner of the Grant, and 
vSouth on the East line. The Belfast Grant was laid out in seven 
ranges and numbered on the East line from the Limerick corner, 
North. The lots in each range were numbered and increased from 
East to W^est. The important portions of the Morrison Deed are 
here given : 

''Know all men bv these presents, that I, William Swasey, of 
Limerick, Countv of York and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
Physician, in the capacity of Secretary lor and in behalf of the 
Trustees in the legislation of this State granting liberty to said 
Trustees to deed and convey by their Secretary certain lands grant- 
ed them for the use of an Academy, in consicleration of four hun- 
dred and eightv dollars to said Trustees paid by Morrison of Lim- 
erick, in the County and State aforesaid, husbandman * * * * 
do hereby sell and convey unto the said vSamuel three lots of land 
situated in the County of Washington, between the Schoodock wat- 
ers and the River vSt. Johns, being lot No. 1, in F Range, No. 2, 
in A Range, and No. 7, in E. Range, containing 480 acres more 



\ 
or less, as laid down on the Plan of Sale ; this being the same 
which was granted by the general court to the Trustees of Philips 
Limeriek Academy and located by Maj. James Irish." 

It is most likely that it was in the fall of LSI 7 when the Morri- 
sons reached Houlton. There were nine children in all, the older 
sons married, but tvvo of them did not come with the rest. They 
came with their own teams through the rough roads, then just part- 
ly grubbed out. They \vere quite forehanded, for they carried a 
supply of meats and provisions to last them till crops could grow- 
again. The family stopped in Houlton for a time, and the older 
girls worked in the Houlton and Putnam families. While thus 
tarrying in town, Joseph Goodenough, adopted son of Aaron Put- 
nam, to whom allusion has been made, became smitten with the 
charms of Miss Dolly Morrison, and they w^ere soon after married. 
"Jo," as the Putnam family always called him, followed the Mor- 
risons to New Limerick and subsequently died there. 

Grandmother's memory failed her in trying to recall the exact 
time when the Morrisons came, but she vvas able to approximate 
pretty well to the date, to use her own language, "Jo Goodenough 
and Dolly Morrison were married before my husband and I were ; 
and we know^ he never set eyes upon Dolly till after they came to 
Houlton, aad that must have been some time before the hrst da}' of 
November, 1818." 

At the close of this period of infancy in tlie settlement, Mr. Houl- 
ton had his flour mill on the Cook Brook ; Aaron Putnam had a 
saw and grist mill at the bridge, and Ebenezer Warner had a saw 
mill at the West Houlton Falls. 



IN AFTER YEARS. 



CAPTEHR VI. 



In tlic opening ()l"thc new career of the town, after 1820, it will 
be well to allude to two more families from New Salem. And 
first, the Pearce heirs for, at about this time, Varney Pearce, Esq., 
the Proprietor, died and his children, Amos, Abraham, vSally and 
Hannah came here. Amos was killed by a fall from his house. 
Abraham married Polly Cook who died shortly after. He then 
married her sister Fanny, who outlived him for many years. "Aunt 
Sally " remained single, and Hannah married John Tenney from 
Belfast. 

The second family which came at this time, really had come at 
the first, in the person of Mrs. James Houlton who, as Sarah Has- 
kell, was married to James on the very morning the Houlton mi- 
gration began. A brother, Jacob Haskell, had come down in May 
ISIO, from New Salem, in company with a number of others, and 
among them was E. Warner of Springfield, Mass., who soon mar- 
ried Polly Houlton. Jacob Haskell worked on Mr. Houlton's flour 
mill at the Brook, then went to hunting and trapping, and, two 
years later, started back with two other men to sell the furs they 
had collected. His Grandfather Haskell fought in the Continental 
ranks at Bunker Hill. Mrs. Houlton's only sister, Catherine, mar- 
ried Wm. H. Cary of New Salem, and in 1822 the Carvs came to 
Houlton. They had three sons, Haskell, Shephard, Wm. Holman, 
Jr., and one daughter, Kate. Mr. Holman Cary, as he was al- 
ways spoken of, \\as the fifth generation in descent from John Cary 
of Bristol, England, who joined the Plymouth Colony in 1(334, and 
made final settlement in Bridgewater in 1(544. 

Soon after Mr. Cary reached Hcjulton he bought a portion of Lot 
21 and built the Cary Mansion upon it. The building still stands 



above the Depot, although it has been sold out of the family. 
While the work on the house went on the Gary family lived in the 
tavern kept by James Houlton. Of this familv the second son, 
Shephard, is the only member who calls for particular notice, and 
this is on account both of the marked characteristics of the man, 
and the very important part he took in the development of the town 
and the county, at large. 

He was born July 8d, 180.J, in the town of New Salem, and was, 
therefore, seventeen years old when he arrived in Houlton. His 
first occupation v/as as a carpenter, with his father, in the family 
home. The young man showed to everyone about him a marked 
originalit}- of purpose and strong will to execute plans or surmount 
obstacles. He soon left the "pent up Utica" of Houlton, as it then 
was, and went into the Province for work. It would seem that he 
proceeded as far as Fredericton, working with his tools and sav- 
ing wages. It was not many years before he came back to Houl- 
ton with some means, considerable experience, and a determina- 
tion to do more than had been done by any one, hitherto, in this 
section. In l.S2(;) he opened his first store, in one of the rooms of 
the house, and soon associated with himself, in the business of trade 
and lumbering, Mr. Collins Whitaker, also of New Salem, whose 
sister, Susannah, vShephard had married. The firm of S. Gary & 
Go. continued in business for twenty-five years, and conducted op- 
erations on a scale colossal for those days. The lumbering which 
was done by the first settlers, up to this time, had been the small 
kind of work involved in the making of shingles and the sawing of 
some boards and dimension, to be rafted down the stream and sold 
at Woodstock. A curious incident occured in connection w4th 
this rafting, in November, which was most notable of its kind. It 
was a necessity to break up these rafts at the Jackson Falls and haul 
the lumber round them, to be rafted again for Woodstock. 

In the month alluded to Amos Putnam had taken a young dark 
brown mare down on a raft of shingles to haul them by the Falls. 
After this was done he allowed a frienil to retain the mare to do 
the same work for him. One night, when turned out to water, 
she suddenly disappeared, and though search was made that night, 
and again in the morning, no trace of her could be found. On the 
12th of the next February some men went down on the ice with a 
team to recover some lost millstones, when they discovered the 
track of a horse upon the shore and, following it up a little distance, 
soon found the poor brute alive but reduced to a mere skeleton. 
She was hauled up to the village on the sled, and by careful nurs- 
ing restored to good condition. 
. The lui^iberinsf which eno'aH'ed the attention of Garv & Go. was 



that of cutting, hewing, and driving to Fredericton the pine timber 
of the forests above Houlton. At about the same time Zebulon 
Ingersoll became interested in the hiniber business, both as an 
operator and as local agent for the State. Henry Houlton, also, 
engaged in the wt^rk and soon accumulated a good propertv. 

The scene of the largest of Mr. Gary's operations was in the 
Northwest part of the County on the Allegash river. At that time 
he owned two townships of land, and on the Seven Islands there 
was an immense depot farm and headquarters for the operations. 
The crews remained there through the whole year. The men wlio 
were not needed on the timber in the summer were kept at woik 
on the farms. At these Islands and other farms all the hay and 
oats which were required for his own operations were raised, and 
there was generally a surplus to sell to the other operators of that 
section. It is said that in some seasons, 10,000 bnshels of oats 
were grown on these farms, and the amount of hay was corres- 
pondingly large. It is most likely that in these vears as many as 
300 men and 200 horses were in the employ ot the farm. Holman 
Cary, Jr. was the local manager in the woods, and Air. Silas T. 
Plummer tended the Houlton store. The supplies were taken in 
boats up the St. John river, during the open season, and across the 
country, byway of Ashland, in the winter. At times a portion of 
the supplies would come through Canada from the vSt. Lawrence 
river. 

The usual style of teams was eight horses together, in the sum- 
mer, and six in the winter. With such a team about thirty men 
were constantly needed. Mr. A. G. Putnam drove one of those 
teams in 1H4!). He began with them in July and hauled constant- 
ly till the driving time of the next spring. In his camp were 120 
men and 32 horses. The pine trees were roughly squared up with 
the narrow axe, and sometimesthe stick of timber was largeenough 
to test the full strength of the eight horses to get it to the landing. 
When these timbers reached St. John they were again dressed all 
over with the broad axe before being shipped to England. 

Mr. Whitaker spent most of the time after 1848 on the lower river 
and in St. John to look after the shipnreuts of all this great amount 
of timber. It is difficult to make much estimate of the amount 
hauled in anv given vear, but one statement has been made that the 
eight horse team could possibly haul 1000 tons of the lumber in that 
time. 

Mr. Wm. H. Cunlifte of Fort Kent, now an extensive operator 
in spruce in that same section, began his career by working for this 
firm. He hired by the month to drive a pair of horses between 
Houlton and Woodstock, and then became the foreman of the hew- 



ing crews on the Allegash. Mr. Gary's anil"»!ti')n and bnsiness 
capacity both conlcl not rest with that which would liave sufficed 
for a common man, but hel)usied 'nimself all through his lile with 
mr.nv other kinds ol" work. While thus occupied in trade and 
kindred matters, he was prominent in the Plantation and Town 
afiairs, and became representative to the Legislature, Hrst in 1<S;52. 

He served thirteen terms both in House and Senate at Augusta, 
and the last was in the Legislature of 1HG2, where he was known as 
a Union member, and activelv interested in the early work of the 
war. He, in particular, took up the case of the volunteers in the 
inadequately furnished camp at Augusta, and secured for them 
more clothing and comfort. 

In 1<S40, in companv with Henry Hoidton, he built the large 
Grist Mill, on the excellent water power two miles above the vil- 
lage, and thus founded the thriftv settlement of Gary's Mills, as it 
was known for thirty years. This n:ill was built in the most 
thorough manner and fitted up with four runs of stone, to do the 
best of work. Mr. Houlton contributed $(5,000.00 as his share of 
the enterprise. When completed it was, and remained for years, 
the one good mill in a very large section of country. Mr. Houlton 
soon sold out and Mr. Gary remair.ed the only proprietor for quite 
a time. Twelve years later he determined to build a foundrv and 
machine shop, and with him, to will was to do. The water was 
taken in a loftv f^ume for many rods down across the road, to the 
wheel hcHise of the machine shop. The wheel was similar to the 
mammoth one at the Grist Mill. They were immense over-shot 
wheels, more than thirtv feet in diameter. The machine shop 
was filled up with the best of tools, and the foundry was prepared 
with equal care. A large charcoal furnace was made, and most 
creditable work was done in all the departments. This foundry re- 
mained the property of the Gary familv till ]<S7.'), when it was 
bought by the firm of J. S. Getchell & vSon, whocaivic to Houlton 
from Machias. Thev removed the tools and appliances to the vil- 
lage, the next year, and the old foundry buildings are falling to 
pieces. The Grist Mill was finally, sold by Mr. Gary to Henry 
Sincock, an Englishman, and was burned down in December 1872. 
Besides these two industries Mr. Gary set others in operation on 
the same dam. An establishment was fitted up for the making of 
furniture, and for the planing and seasoning of lumber. Into this 
shop was put the first board planer brought into the Gounty. The 
large tools and heavv supplies of coal and iron were brought by 
water to Woodstock, and hauled over by his own teams. ' 

At about the time of the building of these shops he bought Lots 
52 and 03 which were on the stream and a little below. A mile 



below the Ibuntlrv he built another clam and saw mill upon it, for 
the purpose, mainly, of sawing his own lumber. This mill was 
well built and equipped for all kinds of work. Into this was put 
the first clapbvoard machine ever used in this section, and in his 
macliine shop was built the first planer for clapboards. 

The saw mill was supplied with logs from the large tracts of land 
he had bought upon both branches of tlie stream. 

A marketl illustration of the fertility of his resources was shown 
soon after the building of the Grist ]\lill. The crop of wheat on 
these new lands had been good for years, and fiu'nished the princi- 
pal work for the mills. When the weevil struck this section it dis- 
troyed the wheat crop for some years, and it was thought it could 
never be again grown successfully. To furnish something for the 
mill to do he caused a large oat kiln to be built tor the purpose of 
drying oats in order that they might be ground into meal. By the 
time this was finished the wheat began to be better, and the grow- 
ing of buckwheat set in on a large scale, so that the mill had all it 
could do without oats, and the kiln never was used. Aaron Put- 
nam had one at the \illago. where the drying of the oats was carried 
on for a long time. 

Prominent features of Mr. Carv's career will be brought out in 
other chapters, for, while he lived, he was a great part of all that 
went to make the material prosperity of the place. In 1843 he was 
elected to Congress and served one term. In 1854 he became the 
candidate for Governor on the ticket of the Liberty Party, and took 
the stump, that season, in the interests of the party. He spoke in 
the old City Hall, in Portland, and the impression carried away 
from that meeting was of a man of great native force of character. 

The first four wheeled, covered carriage, ever ownetl and driven 
in the town, was one he brought here. Tlie first mowing machine 
was used on the sand hill farm, in 1857. 

In 1859 he began the erection of the large store on Court St. and 
wdien completed, in the next season, it was as well fitted up and 
arranged for the easy conduct of a great business as could well be 
conceived of. When questioned as to cost he said he did not know 
what it cost : his single purpose was to construct what he wanted 
regardless of the investment. 

When Air. Gary's business career began Houlton was an un- 
organized plantation with a mere struggling settlement from the 
hill down to the stream, in the Northern part of the County of 
Washington, and without roads in any direction. At the close of 
that career, which terminated with his life, August 9th, 18(36, the 
change had been wonderous. The country was settled thickly in 
all directions ; the roads had pushed out toward all points ; and the 



railway station was but five miles away. The Town of Houlton 
\\as the County seat for Aroostook County, already had a popula- 
tion of 2000 inhabitants, and was beginning to feel the impulse of 
the new life inspired by the railway traliic. 

The settlement became organized as a Plantation April 21st, 
1826. The volume of these oldest records bears the marks of much 
wear, and the first few leaves are loose and frayed on the edges to 
such an extent that the whole reading cannot be made out. It 
would appear that Elias Thomas of Portland, Treasurer of the 
State of Maine, empowered Samuel Cook, Esq., to take the neces- 
sary steps toward the organization. He thereupon issued a man- 
date to E. Packard, "a principal inhabitant of the plantation called 
Houlton" directing him to post a warrant summoning the people 
to their first meeting. This instrument is dated April 14th, 1826. 

The powei-s and privileges of the Plantation did not long suffice, 
and in 1831, by virtue of authority of an Act of the Legislature, 
Samuel Cook, Esq., issued a warrant to Jas. Lander, Constable, 
directing him to notify and warn a meeting of the inhabitants to 
accept the Act of Incorporation and make an election of officers. 
This document is dated April 4th, 1831. In one week the meeting 
was called together by Esq. Cook, and James Lander was chosen 
Moderator; S. Cook, Clerk; S. Cook, E. Packard and L. Pierce, 
Selectmen; Joseph Houlton, Jr., Treasurer; S. Cook, L. Pierce, 
Joshua Putnam, Superintending School Committee. 

The Registry of the Deeds shows that Mr. Houlton remained 
Register until August 8th, 1832, and then was succeeded by Timothy 
Frisbie, Esq. The last Washington County Deed was recorded 
June 7th, 1839, and the first Aroostook County Deed June loth, 
1839. 

The first conveyance of the Town of Houlton was of date of 
April 11th, 1836, by Shepard Cary, Treasurer. 



Waldo G. Brown, 



-Dealer in- 



Building Materials, Bar Iron and Steel, 

-^ BLHCKSnilTHS HHD m mi tnflKERS SDPPLIES. ^ 

Wrought Iron Pipe, Steam and Water Pipe Fittings, 
Pumps, Plumbers Goods, etc. 

KOR XHK HOLIDAY TRADE. 

A Large and Desirable Stock of 

Beautiful Bronze, Liibfary, Bracket and Table 

Brass and Bronze Fire Dogs, Fire Sets, Ornamental 
Fire Screens, etc., etc. 



SILVER-PLATED WARE! 

We have on exhibition the 

I^argest # I^lne # of # Pine # SilYer-Plated # Ware 

Ever shown in this County, made by the Standard Manufafturers of America, 

ROGERS &, BRO. and READ & BARTON. 

Do not fail to see this GRAND DISPLAY of Elej^ant Goods suitable for Holiday Presents. 

All our goods in this line are WARRANTED to be the VERY BEST goods manufac 

tured — of the LATEST STYLES and PATTERNS, and at the LOW PRICES 

which we shall offer them they cannot fail to please you and give 

PERFECT SATISFACTION. Remember the place— 

lUALDO G. BROUJI), 

52 Main Street, Brick Block, Houlton, Maine. 



Tt-IK 



Forming with its Connections the 



|| # RUU t^fllli ni]ME m 1^ 



FROM THE 



Maritime Provinces M Northern Maine 



NEW ENGLAND STATES, &c., &c. 



ALSO THE 



"SHORT LINE" fo Opper Canada, m West and |for(H West. 



Pullman' s Palace Cars on All Rail Line. 



Solid Train Service of Canadian Pacijic Railway. 

Coaches and Sleeping Cars on Short Line trains between 
Halifax, St. John and Montreal. 

FURES HLWHYS fiS LOW flS VIA W OTIiER BOOTH! 



For further particulars inquire of your nearest New Brunswick Railway Ticket Agent. 



F. W. CRAM, 

General Manager. 



A. J. HEATH, 

General Passenger Agent. 



Genepal Offiees : ST. JOHN. N- B- 



L. MONSON & SON, 



-DEALERS IN- 



iVleab^ s- ar)d * vjroceries, 

TEAS, COFFEES AND SPICES. 



-MANUFACTURERS OF- 



''Our Own Make" Brand of Sausages. 

^^ Goods delivered free of charge. 
BANGOR STREET, _ - _ HOULTON, MAINE 



Please Rerrjenjber bl^ab 

I. M. HILL & CO. 

Are IlEADqUARTERS FOR 

FUmiIRE, CARPETS, CURTAISS, 

OF ALL KINDS. 

Gasl^ef s, Coffins and Burial ^obes 

IN GREAT VARIETY. 
When hi to'ivn f lease give tis a call, 

I. jvt. Mxivrv «S5 oo., 

(Successors to J0)I)( pi. RICE,) 

West Side Public Square, - Houlton, Maine. 



W. A. NICKERSON, 



-DEALER IN- 



^^^Dry ar)d r apcy Cjoods^4 

Lpdies' ill liTS' Feiiiii Boois, 

Fine Shoes and Rubber Goods. 



KUR COATS KOR LADIES' AND GENTS' 

FOR SAIvE AND TO LET. 

Fur l^obes, Gaps, FFJuffs and Gapes. 



CLOAKS AND CLOAKINGS. 

Shauils, Blankets and Searfs, 

Trunks, Valises and Handbags, 
Yarns in Great Variety, 

Corsets, Gloves and Hosiery, 

fJoVelties and fictions. Etc., Hte. 

^EtU GOODS EVEl^Y DAY I 

63 Main Street, - - Houlton, Maine. 



RGABS AND MAILS. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Before going further with the story ol" the Town a proper notice 
should be made of the means of communication with the rest of 
the State. It has been shown how the explorers, pioneers, and their 
families came to the xVcademy Grant by means of the water wav 
of sea and river to Woodstock, and also bv road to Bangor, thence 
to pursue a devious way of river, portage, lake, portage, and river 
again, to the same point. It has been noted that about lH2o a 
change was made in this latter route, in that the stream was left at 
the Baskahegan carry to the Schoodic Lake, and a direct Northerly 
trail up through the woods to the Grant was followed. The tramp 
of tiiirty-six miles througli the forest shortened the mileage fullv one- 
half. 

Over this foot-path came a number of men, at different times, 
with their packs on their backs. The name of a Mr. Bradbury is 
one of the first that occurs on that route. The inducement to such 
enterprise was not alone to peddle nick-nacks in the Grant, but also 
to take the venturesome chances of traffic over the disputed border. 
When once this track was spotted out it soon became the regular 
line of communication, and the old round about portage, via Lake 
and the Eel River, was given up. 

It is difficult to fix the exact time when the improvement of this 
road began. The first step was to cut out sufficient of the forest to 
let the sleds pass in the winter. The foot trail had been worked 
upon enough to admit of the passage of horses as well as men at 
the time Zebulon Ingersoll and Moses White first came up. Inger- 
soll as a lumber operator, and the latter as a general trader and 
speculator. The opening of the winter road over the horseback in 



No. 9, was undoubtedly about the time of the beginning of the oper- 
ations of Gary & Co. From the settlement a rough road had been 
constructed, Southward, to the Groton Grant, now Hodgdon, antl 
was substantially the same as the present Calais road in Houlton. 
In the Groton Grant and through Nos. 11 and 10, this old pioneer 
road did not coincide at all with the existing Countv road of those 
towns, but was cut out farther to the Eastward. In fact it kept in 
a due Southerly course and passed over the highest part of the West- 
ford Hill. In No. 10, now Amity, the road was some sixty or 
eighty roads back in the woods and bushes from the highway where 
it passes the Meeting House. This road was better than no road of 
course, but did not reach the South line of No. 10. 

x\n octogenarian friend relates some characteristic experiences of 
life on that road and neighborhoods during those years. " When 
I was about twenty years old I hired with old Abner and vStephen 
Hill, of vSt. Stephen, to work for them in the first lumbering ever 
done on the North Lake. We came up and camped on the East 
side of the Lake, and our business was the felling of the pine trees 
on the shore, and hewing them into square timber. The trees were 
so plenty and near the shore that we merely felled them toward the 
water, some times into it, and then after hewing them turned them 
over into the Lake. 

The man in charge of us was Geo. Hill, a son of old Abner. 
He was a first-class man in the woods and excellent as a foreman 
of a crew, but his love for drink was very strong, and when out of 
the woods he was the slave of his appetite. vSo long as he staved 
in the woods there was no better man than Geo. Hill. I worked 
for the firm two years steadily. In the summer time the crew was 
small, sometimes only three or four men besides George. 

In the latter part of June George made the proposition to us that 
we all go to Houlton to spend the Fourth of July. That idea suit- 
ed the men exactly, though not all of us cared to go for the reason 
which was spurring on George. A couple of days before the 
anniversai'y we broke camp and wentthrough the tliick w^oods to the 
old road in No. 10, and then followed that on foot down to Houl- 
ton, to Lander's tavern. I had eleven dollars with me, and it was 
about all the money there was in the whole company. 

On the next day George came to me and wanted to l:)orr()W my 
money. Of course I let him have it and we kept right on having 
a good time. After we had been in Houlton a week, George con- 
cluded we had better go back. So the next morning he hired a dog 
cart to take us and our traps out as far as the road ran, added to the 
load three gallons of N. E. rum, gave Lander a draft on St. Stephen 
for $100.00, and then set out for the woods again. The firm al- 



ways honored George's drafts, and kept him at work as long as 
possible. That was mv first visit to Houlton. I did not see the 
place again lor more than fortv years." 

In 1<S21 Amos Putnam had settled on the .South half of Lot 35, 
which lies next East of this Calais Road. His oldest son remem- 
bered that his father, somewhere about 1827, went late in the fall 
of the year down the road with a two horse sled loaded with oats. 
It is quite likely that, at that time, the road was passal:)le to the 
Baskahegan. 

The road from Houlton to Woodstock had, in these same years, 
gone through a similar changing of condition. The pioneer came 
in on the spotted line. j\lrs. Houlton came in 1807, on horseback 
within tvyo miles of the clearings, and the rest of the \yay on foot. 
Some few years after jNlr. Edmund Cone came down from New 
Salem, and as he Avas an expert w^ith cattle he went on to the route 
between Houlton and Woodstock with a pair of oxen and a two 
\vheeled cart, the Express team for the settlers. By his own ac- 
count, when he began there was really no road, and his cattle clam- 
bered oyer logs, stones, and brush as best they could. These ob- 
structions were gradually removed and a fair route was made. In 
the Plantation, this ro:ul was South of the present one, and crossed 
tiie Cof)k brook some twenty rods higher up. The traces of that 
construction are still seen in that locality. Mr. Cone was a success- 
ful and popular teamster, and not only did good service to the 
settlers, but found favor in the eves of Tvliss Barbara Shephard of 
the Parish of Richmond. The favorable opinion was reciprocat- 
ed, and after a few years the express business was abandoned. 
jSIr. Cone with his wife went out onto a new farm in No. 10, 
where they spent a lengthy, honored, and useful life. 

It follows as a matter of course that with such roads the oppor- 
tunities for mail service were few, and of the most primitive meth- 
ods. The first letters went to and fro in the sailing vessels by w'ay 
of St. John. After the war broke out the only way was by chance 
passers through the woods, who would take from the settlement 
whatever letters were ready at the time of their departure. So, in 
the return, if a peddler was leaving Bangor for the settlement he 
would look a]:)out to find whatever might be w'aiting for a chance 
to open. It will be remembered that the route above Bangor was 
by canoe for the one or two men with light packs, or by heavy boats 
with weighty goods, which were laboriously poled up the streams. 
It was not possible therefore to reckon with any degree of certainty 
as to the possible time of an answer to a letter started on its way by 
this kind of post route. 

It is generally stated that Mr. James Lander, who had married 



Hannah Shaw, and kept the tavern, was the first man to make a 
busmess ot takmg the mail through. When he began on the route 
he wxnt a good part of the way on Toot, then, after a time, could -o 
some ot the distance on horseback, and, as the track was made 
passable for wheels, he rode all the ^va^•. His route seems to have 
been hmited to the Baskahegan stream and back again. 

By picking up and putting together the threads^of the narrative 
thus iar, It will be seen that after twentv vears of settlement there 
was a rough corduroy road from Woodstock out twelve miles to 
Houlton ; then the same sort of a track continued oti Southerly 
about sixteen miles. The settlers were literally in the woods, and 
tar removed Irom their own countrymen. Not only so, but they 
were living in a kind of - No Man's Land," for the disputed Bound- 
ary question was right upon them all the time. The British Military 
power hardly recognized the existence of a Boundary. In the war 
of 1812 they imposed an armed neutralitv, with'Uncle Timmy 
Houlton grimly refusing to part with his fowling piece, and the 
Garrison at Fredencton watching all that was going on. 

Qidte a number of retired, half-pay officers of tl^e British armv 
who had served in the war of the Revolution, had taken upland 
grants along the St. John river, and in their declining vears had a 
contemptuous and bitter feeling for the - Yankees," as thev thou-ht 
ot Dorchester Heights, Saratoga, and Yorktown. This feclino- was 
shared by the younger army men and under strappers, and it pleased 
themto annoy the settlers over on the contested border. Occasions 
for friction were constantly arising ; at one time, by the sudden ap- 
pearance ol a deserter from Fredericton coming to their houses and 
begging lor food and shelter, and again by the successful enticing 
away of American citizens and obliging them to enter the ranks of 
the garrison. The settlers never refused to aid the deserters but 
would secrete them in one place, and another, where the purs'uino- 
squads could not find them. These corporals' guards, which wei? 
sent after deserters, never paid any attention to such a thing as a 
Boundary Line, but pounced right in upon the settlement, a^t any 
moment, to catch the runaways. These poor fellows were kept 
out of sight until some one was ready to go throuoh the woods to 
Bangor, and then they were sent off. It is a matter of tradition 
that no one who asked the settlers' succor was ever recaptured. 
The standing reward for the arrest of deserters kept some of the 
Woodstock men on the look out, and a few were retaken between 
the river and Houlton. It is to the credit of the Commander at 
Fredericton, during these years, that he never was glad to see a 
deserter brought back, for the army punishment was a very severe 
flogging. A weakly man could not endure the shock, and when 



an over zealous man ol' Woodstock brought in a deserter who died 
under the punishment he was told that it' ever he came again with 
a man they would give him tiie Hogging. His zeal for the honor 
of the crown soon abated to the zero point. 

The usual method to entrap men was to in\ite them to Wood- 
stock, and after getting them to drinking to give them another 
glass of spirits " in the King's name," as they would say. At the 
same time, apiece of money was slipped into their hand, also " in 
the King's name." This was claimed to be a valid enlistment in 
the King's armv, and the next morning the poor fellow would 
awake in the guartl house. Such high lianded work incensed all 
the people. One case in particular occured in 1<S13. A man bv 
the name of James Lyon came to lloulton from Winthrop. He 
would drink with others, and one day found himself in Woodstock 
in the designing crowd. They got him to drinking, and went 
through the jugglerv of ''tlie King's name." Lvtm was carried to 
Fredericton, and soon found opportunity to desert. He came to 
Houlton to the house of Aaron Putnam. His pursuers followed 
right on and rapped insolently at the door. L\ on was rocking tlie 
cradle where Mrs. Isa Putnaiu's Noungest child was sleeping. .She 
answered the noisy pounding in peison, and asked their wants. 

They said they wanted Lyon to come out that they might speak 
with him. She knew their mission, and quietly but firmly said he 
was rocking the cradle for her, and she could not spare him. They 
saw by the look of her eye and the tone of her voice that she would 
make trouble for them if they undertook extreme measures with 
her, and beat a retieat. After that, Lyon was secreted for some 
days near a spring in the pasture, and when Mrs. Putnam went 
over to milk the cows she carried him food. Before long some 
one started for Bangor and Lyon went on wnth him. 

The personal relation of the settlers on both sides remained pleas- 
ant, in many cases, through the whole of this unsatisfactory period. 
Our people still went and came, via the river, persons moved over 
to Houlton from the Province, and Lydia Houlton married into 
one of the British half-pay families. But as regarded the sections, 
or settlements, one was that of a beaten adversary, who was strong 
and felt his power, and the other was the victorious party, but, in 
itself, this little settlement was weak, isolated, and almost un- 
known to the Federal Government. The settlers carried the doc- 
trine of passive resistance to the last degree. They sheltered the 
deserters, sped them on their way, answered jeer or taunt with a 
reminder of Yorktown, and whistled Yankee Doodle. They be- 
lieved right would yet be might, but the way to bring it about was 
shut up from them. 



"With the hour comes the man," and when tlie time was ripe to 
end this state of things it was through a new man, of Qiiaker faith ; 
the non-resisting adherent, that the settlement was freed from the 
dominant hand of foreign soldiery. In 1826, Jonah Dunn, Esq., 
of Cornish, York County, Me., moved with his family to Houlton, 
and bought, as has been stated, the place over the river where Amos 
Putnam had been living. Esquire Dunn was a man of good edu- 
cation, with a clear head, and keen power of discernment. He 
always spoke in the terms of "Thou" and" thee," and like his 
successor in the person of Phinehas Fletcher, of Uncle Tom's Cabin, 
he could see where non-resistance gave place to self-respect and 
self-defence. In the spirit in which Phinehas addressed Tom 
Loker and said : "Friend, thee isn't wanted here," coupling his 
words with the energetic pushing of the bully down the precipice, 
so Jonah Dunn looked on at this defenceless "No Man's Land," 
and saw the drifts of things until the flagrant Baker case in the 
upper part of the County brought him to the front. "This state 
of things must not and shall not continue. The Federal Power we 
will invoke, and it shall be known that the Unitetl States of Amer- 
ica can protect its subjects and territorv." 

Mr. Dunn wrote several communications to the State papers re- 
hearsing the situation, and calling upon the people to give ex- 
pression to the feeling upon the subject. In the settlement he first 
mentioned the subject to John Hodgdon, in his ofiice and wished a 
petition drawn up to Congress asking that Houlton be constituted 
a Military Post, and an appropriation be made for the support of 
the same. Col. Hodgdon drew up the petition, and it was numer- 
ously signed. In the absence of the actual papers it may be safely 
assumed that the petition was drawn up in 1827, and presented to 
Congress that next winter. 

Public sentiment had so advanced the matter, that the prayer was 
heard. A Military Post was created in the Plantation of Houlton, 
the appropriation for its support was made, and thus, it may be 
said, the curtain falls upon these days of weakness caused by small- 
ness of population, remoteness of location and indifference on the 
part of the Nation at large to the condition of the Northeastern 
Frontier. 

A careful distinction must be made, here, between the act of the 
General Government in constituting this Military Post, and that 
frantic excitement through the State of ten years later. 



Almon H. Fogg & Co., 



^Jobbers and Retailers of- 



rlard^v^are^ Lublery^ 

AND 

HOUSE TRIMMINGS, 

72 to 78 Main Street, - HOULTON, MAINE. 



Nails, Paints, Glass and Oils, 

CAf^PEflTEt^S' TOOLiS, 

Bar Iron and Steel Wapn Axles and Springs, 

POWDER and SHOT, KEROSENE OIL and LRinPS, 

POI^K, FLOUR, FISH, TEA, TOBJIGGO. 



-Agents for- 



TM BDCMYI MOWEl .«' IMPEB, 

Fairbanks' Scales, 

BOSTON RUBBER BELTINQ, 

IVIINERS' KRIEND DYNAIvIITE. 



-C>VLL A.T THE- 



HouLTON Grocery 



Pore U\ 

CONFECTIONERY, TOBBCCO m ClOflBS, 
Choice Meats, Fish, Butter, Cheese, Eggs, &c. 

Cash Paid for all kiud.i of Counivy Proiluee. 

C. H. WILSON, - - Houlton, Maine. 



DENTIST, 



East End Brick Block, No. 68 Main Street, 
HOULTON, MAINE. 



mi Diseases of ttie MOUTH, TEETH ai\d GUMS Treated and Cured. 

Gold Plates, Gold arid Porcelair\-Faced Gold Cro^^ns av\d Gold Filliqgs 
Inserted. Regiilatirig Chiildreri's Teetl| a Specialty. 

Etl^ier av\d. Nitrous Oxide Gas giver) to extract teetl^ -witl^out paiq. 

SflTISFHCTIOrl OOARnfJTEED Ifl EVERY CASE. 



K. B.WHITK, 



-DEALER IN- 



W abcrje^, Llock^^ eiArelry ^ 



SPECTA.CLKS. &c. 



-Headquaptefs for 



Breech-I^oacllng GiiiiB, 

Single and Repeating Rifles, 

Ammunition of all kinds. 

Have your SHELLS LOADED TO ORDER and you will know 

what brand of powder you are using. All sizes Rifle 

Cartridges kept in stock, 

oxj:vs to XvET. - 

*b—. -. ■ . . ^—. ; ; r— * 

pishing Taeklc and all kinds of Spotting Goods. 



EVEBnpS SOLD gT LOWEST PRICES POSSIBLE! 



Particular Attention given to FINE \A/'ATCH REPAIRING 

in all its branches. 

5 1-2 Market Square, - Houlton, Maine. 



\s[l)er) ii) wcii)b of 





iLieY • m ■ m 



Fine Groceries and Provisions, 



-CALL ON- 



J. C. HARRIGAN, No. 1 Bridge St. 

He makes a specialty of keeping a seleifl stock, and devotes his time and 
ability lo the needs of his customers. 

flFTEl^ IVIAf^CH 1st, 1890, 

I'o/i ■will find me in tny own place^ One Door North of Hotel 

Exchange, Court Street, where you will be S7ire of a 

welcome. Having larger and more coitvenient quarters 

I will be better able than evei- to give you nice 

goods at very reasonable prices. 



-CALL AT- 



A. P. 1. Takr's Horn Shoeing Depot, 



JVIE:CMA.T«IC ^TICEjEiT, 




Where you can gret 
your horses shod in 
the best of shape, at 
Reasonable Prices. 

(ILL WORK WflmifiHTED. 



-AGENT FOR- 



> Peat-Moss Petroleum Hoof Packing.^f 

CALL AND LEARN HOW TO USE IT. 



THE STAR SPANGLEB BANNER, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The faded records, in their quaint handwriting, show on cer- 
tain pages the following transactions : 

"Know all men by these presents that I, Joseph Houlton, Jr., of 
Houlton Plantation, County of Washington, and State of jNIaine, 
yeoman, for and in consideration of $()01).*27 paid to me, this day, 
by Lieutenant Joseph S. Gallagher, Acting Assistant Commissary 
and Acting Assistant Qiuirtermaster in the service of the United 
States of America, for and in behalf of the said United States of 
America, do hereby give, grant, bargain, sell and convey to the 
said United States a portion of land situated in the S. W. half of 
the South half of Lot No. 20 in said Plantation, bounded as follows 
* * * and containing 25 acres more or less. * * * j ^vill 
warrant and defend the same to the said United States and their 
assigns forever." 

For obvious reasons the usual word '•'•heirs" is conspicuously 
absent in this last sentence. This most important document bears 
date of July 25th, 1.S28. Two more transcriptions mayas well be 
made here, although in the interval between the dates of the in- 
struments much was done. 

Again, Josepii Hoidton, Jr., of ?Ioulton, etc., conveysto "James 
Thomas, of State and City of New York, Gentleman," a certain 
portion of Lot 21, and bounded as follows: " Beginning 8 rods 
West, of the centre of the North line of said Lot No. 21, at a stake 
and stones; thence South 14^ West, (i rods more or less to the 
North side of the road leading to the River St. John ; thence East- 
erly on said road to the South line of Lot No. 20 ; thence Westerly 
on said South line, to the first mentioned bounds." 



This deed is dated October 31st, 1828, and conveyed a three sided 
piece of land whereon now stand the buildings of Mr. Hackett. 

Once more Joseph Houlton, Jr., sells, and conveys, warrants 
and defends " to Lieutenant J. R, Smith, Assistant Commissary 
and Assistant Qiiartermasterot the United States Army, in behalf 
of said United States of America a certain portion of Lot 21." 

Briefly stated, this conveyance was of the narrow strip of land 
which became the street into the Garrison grounds from ^'' the road 
leading to the River St. John." 

These documents show the presence of the Federal Government 
in Houlton, and the opening of the new day for the settlers. It 
would be of great interest could the exact time of the first arrival 
of the bearer of the National power be fixed, but the minute data 
are wanting. The best informed of the oldest people say that in 
the month of June, 1828, Company C. of the 2d Regiment of In- 
fantry of the army of the United States, under the immediate com- 
mand of First Lieutenant Joseph S. Gallagher, and accompanied by 
Surgeon Robert Kerr of the U. S. Army, marched up over the 
Baskahegan trail, down over the rough road of the Groton Grant, 
then, through the street of the struggling village, to the music of 
the fife and drum on up to the height of the land behind Joseph 
Houlton's house, there grounded arms, pitched their tents, and 
the next morning, at sunrise, threw out the Stars and Stripes to the 
breeze. 

This signifiicant act of the military power plainly said to all con- 
cerned : "The disputed territory is altogether beyond this point. 
Venture behind our line only at your peril." All of the reckless 
marauding ceased. The settlers were never again harrassed wath 
the visits and mandates of the corporal guards. They rested, at 
last, under the protection of the Flag, and could pursue their avo- 
cations in peace. 

Three other Companies of the 2d Infantry, — E. under command 
of Lieutenant Bloodgood ; F. under command of Captain T. Stan- 
iford ; K. commanded by Lieutenant A. B. Eaton, had left Ban- 
gor with Company C. but were instructed to accompany the mili- 
tary stores and supplies which a firm of contractors had agreed to 
forward to the Post at Houlton. The purpose of this assignment 
of troops was to aid in repairing a road which was said to extend 
from a point on the East Bi'anch of the Mattawamkeag river. 

This whole detachment was under the command of Major N. S. 
Clarke. Brev. Brig. Gen. Brady was Colonel of the Regiment. 
Lieut. Col. Cumming's was in command at the Headquarters in 
Madison Barracks, Sacketts Harbor, New York, and Lieutenant 
John Clitz was the Adjutant. Major Clarke had appointed Lieut. 



Gallagher ^Vssistant Qiiartermaster, and sent him Ibrward, as has 
been stated, with his Company to select and purchase the site for 
the Post. Lieut. Eaton was appointed Adjutant of the Post. 

From the Letter Book of Alajor Clarke the l^est account can he 
had of the doings of the United States Forces in that summer of 
1S28. These letters are all dated, "Headquarters, Hancock Bar- 
racks." and are those of Major Clarke himself unless the name is 
given. i\) avoitl needless repetition the place will not be named 
unless it is elsewhere than at the Barracks. 

The tirst letter at hand is dated August 'i.'tth, and is addressed to 
Gen. Geo. Gibson, Commissary General of Subsistence, at Wash- 
ington. The first paragraph states that in obedience to orders he 
has relieveti Lieut. Gallagliei of duty at this Post, and ordered 
him to repair to Bangor. Lieut. Gallaglier became the Acting 
Comm. of Subsistence at the Depot and Recruiting Station in Ban- 
gor. He does not appear again at the Post, but in the short time 
he remained here he made a reputation for himself, not only as a 
soldier, but as a preacher, and persons living in the town remem- 
ber him on Sundav in the desk of the school-house preaching to 
the assembly of people. Lieut. J. R. vSmith took his place as 
Qiiartermaster and Commissary, and held the position for some 
time. 

The second paragraph unfolds to the superior officer the diffi- 
culties of Maj. Clarke's position, and gives a suggestion for relief. 

'■'•The idea has suggested itself that the residue of the 
annual supply of subsistence stores now on its way to Ban- 
gor from New York, intended for this command, might 
be delivered at once at the post by contract, if the contrac- 
tors should ship them immediately at Bangor to St. 
John, in the Province of New" Brunswick, provided the 
Revenue Laws of that Province did not interpose too great 
obstacles. I verv much fear, so dilatory and enefficient 
have been the arrangement of the contractors for transpor- 
tation upon the Mattawamkeag, tliat a partial failure in 
the delivery of the stores, already on the way to Houlton, 
may take place. Besides they have been so badly handled, 
and so much exposed to the unusual rains of the present 
season that I also fear that much of the flour will be found 
to be damaged. Under these circumstances, in order to 
meet any unfortunate contingency, I respectfully suggest 
to you the propriety of furnishing Lt. .Smith with authori- 
ty and funds to make purchases incase of need." 

Lender date of next day Adjt. Eaton writes Capt. Staniford, 



Commanding on Beaver Brook Road : 

''I am directed by Maj. Clarke to inform _you that he 
will muster and inspect the troops under your command 
at 5 o'clock, p. M. of the ;31st inst, if no circumstances 
occur to prevent it, in which case you are directed to pre- 
form that duty." 

It would appear that this first official visit to the troops of the com- 
manding officer since he left them on the month of June, came 
about as appointed, for there follow several letters evidently in- 
spired by the condition of things he found existing at that inspec- 
tion. 

On the same day of the letter of Major Clarke to General Gib- 
son, Lieut. J. B. Russell, x\ssis,t. Qiiartermaster at Bangor, wrote 
to the Major, making inquiries about supplies and stores, as though 
all had gone forward easily and expeditiouslv. After waiting a 
week to try and learn of the actual situation of things about those 
luckless stores the answer is as follows : 

'•'■ It would seem by the statement contained in your let- 
ter of the 25th ult. that you are misinformed on the subject 
of the subsistence stores and clothing for this command. 
They are not all at Thompson's Camp. A portion of the 
former is now at Sluguvvay, and of the latter the greater 
part is still at Piscataquis. I hope however that you mav 
yet arouse the contractors to a sense of the importance of 
increasing their means of transportation and of pushing on 
these supplies." 

It seems to have become no small task to pole up and carry around 
two successive falls in the rivers, all the outfit and supplies of a new 
Post and four Companies of lufantrv. Before taking up the storv 
of the work of those three Companies it w'ill be well to state that 
the task of building the Barracks and appurtenances for a Military 
Post had been actively carried on, all the summer, by the men of 
Co. C, and many hired men and mechanics of Ilou'ton. There 
was a pressing need upon the commander to have winter quarters 
in readiness and also his supplies on hand for the cold weather. 

It seems to have been decided by the military authorities that a 
new and better route than the Baskahegan trail could be opened up 
from a point on the Mattawamkeag, and during the whole season 
these three other companies were busied with that work. The road 
they thus built was always known as the Soldier Road. It began 
at the Soldier Landing, two miles below the mouth of Beaver 
Brook, and followed up the Brook, thence took an Easterly course 



over the risin<r ground where J. D. Gove Hves and after that, fol- 
lowed somewhere near the line of the present Military Road, but 
was very crooked, and hastily built on the hard land. It crossed 
the line of the present road near P. r*. Burleigh's house and skirt- 
ed round to the Eastward of his clearing, and again crossed the 
present road near Mr. Hersey's place. Traces of this old road are 
still seen in ditferent parts of Linneus, also on the farm of Mr. John 
vStewart, and again on the McGinley farm in Houlton. Here is 
quite a piece of the old cordurov work, in the rim, East of the 
house. On the Ingersoll place it curved rcnmd the swale, now 
crossed directly by the road, and kept well up toward the house. 
That swale was a bad mire-hole and many of the horses were extri- 
cated with dit^culty as they, at th^st, attempted to go straight across 
it. The idea of getting supplies by wav ol the St. John river never 
appears again, and the next letter of September 8th, to Lt. Galla- 
gher, at Bangor, shows the new purpose of IVIajor Clarke to meet 
the necessities of iiis situation : 

"Should the Comm'y Gen. of Subsistence be of the 
opinion that the public interest requires the Subsistence 
Stores now at Bangor to be transported to this Post upon 
the Mattawamkeag whenever transportation by sleds be- 
comes practicable, it will be proper in order to provide 
against every possible contingency that one month's portion 
of those supplies be sent up to Thompson's camp in all 
the next month. I therefore request, in the event of his 
so deciding, that you consider this letter as a requisition 
upon vou for that month's supplv of Subsistence for this 
Command." 

Thompson's Camp appears to have been a large lumber camp 
about four miles above the mouth of Beaver Brook. The revela- 
tion of this letter is that the expectation of the early summer is al- 
togethei" frustrated, and a large part ol' the work must go over till 
the winter sets in. 

Of same date is a letter to the Act. Assist. Adjt. Gen'l, Head- 
quarters, E. Depart, 218 Fulton St., New York: 

"I hoped to have the satisfaction before this to announce 
to Dept. Headquarters the arrival at this Post of the three 
Companies of the 2d Infantry destined for it which are yet 
behind. The progress of these Companies in the ascent 
of the Rivers behind us was slower than I anticipated 
w'hen I made mv last report to Headquarters of the Dept. 
Having arrived on the 22d of last month at Thompson's 
Camp, Capt. Staniford, in obedience to orders which he 



had received from me, put them at work upon the road, 
in repairing which thev still continue to be employed. On 
a visit to them I directed the Capt. to build a Store House, 
and place in it for shelter from the i^ains the Ordnance 
Stores with which he has been burthened, and which 
may remain there without detriment to the public until 
transportation by sleds becomes practicable. This work 
together with a storm of rain of nearly one week'scontinu- 
ance has retarded the Captain's progress upon the road. 
I have the satisfaction of being able now to state that 
the contractor has increased his means of transportation 
to an extent that in all probability mav enable him to 
bring in all the subsistence and qr. masters' stores before, 
winter." 

Again ot same date to Capt. Staniford : 

"The public interest essentially requires that the re- 
pairs of the road upon which the detachment is no'w em- 
ployed should be eifected in the least possible time. You 
will therefore report to me, as an opportunity may present 
itself, your progress and the kind of repairs vou may have 
effected, and in the removal of your camp from place to 
place you will encumber yourself with as little baggage as 
possible." 

September 15 to Staniford again : 

"lam sorry your report presents so great a sick list, 
in as much as it was mv intention to draw from your de- 
tachment most if not all of your carpenters. We are ex- 
pending here from fifteen to eighteen hundred dollars per 
month for hire of citizen mechanics. I am, on this ac- 
count, glad that the period of your arrival so nearly ap- 
proaches." 

September 20 there is occasion to write of a circumstance which 
is aside from this tedious one of supplies, but nevertheless interest- 
ing to all as the first appearance of the other party in this North- 
eastern question. This letter ts to Department Headquarters : 

" Sir Howard Douglass, the Governor of the adjacent 
Province, presented himself at the Line on the evening of 
the lo inst., having looked at us through a glass on the 
same evening, and having entered his carriage on the 
morning of the 16th in order to retrace his steps he caused 
Mr. Parks, with whom he tarried overnight, to repair to 



Houltou with ;i veil)al messaji^c stating- that he regretted 
very much that hi.s late arrival oii. the evening belVjre at 
Parks, havings understood that the road from thence to H. 
to be very bad. and the morninj^ too then being rainv did 
not allow him the * pleasure ' of calling to see me ; and be- 
sides that he was under t'.ie necessity of returning to 
Woodstock in order to prolong his journey to Madawasca. 
Tlie message by Parks being the first intelligence I had 
of Sir Howard l)eing in the vicinitv I deemed it a compli- 
ment due to his ci\il message and to the occasion to dis- 
patch a note intending the contents for the ear of the 
G()\ernor, to an acquaintance in Woodstock, a pensioner 
of the British Government, expressing mv regret that 
earlier information had not reached me, in order that I 
might have been able to pav my respects to him. I ha\e 
thought it mv dut\- to make this occurrence known at De]5t. 
H'd Qiiarters, leaving it to judge whether the visit had 
for object a mere civilitv or otlier views." 

To Capt. Staniford, Comd'g B. B. Road, September 2;> : 

"The services of all the carpenters in your detachment 
are absolutely necessarv on the pul)lic buildings here and 
can no longer be dispensed with. Vou will therefore on 
the receipt of this letter order ever\ one of that description 
of mechanic in the companies, including Hanson of the 
Band, to repair to Houlton without (lela\- and report to 
the Act. Assist. Qj-. Master. 

I understand that the four (> pdrs. have been removed 
from Thompson's Camp ; if so, vou have misconceived 
my views. You will, after having raised them up, if 
necessary, on skids, leave them where they now are until 
further orders." 

It would seem that Capt. .Staniford attempted some excuse for 
the unauthorized moving ot the guns, lor, under date of .Septem- 
ber 2atli, tlie following epistle was sent to him, which clearly shows 
the spirit of both a soldier and commander : 

"In as much as the four (I pdrs. have been brought on 
so far, (your present camp) you will, so soon as the road 
shall have been couipleted to Neal's, order them to that 
place and leave them there. Such instructions, relative 
to a proper care of them as you may think it proper to 
give, I request you to give to Mr. Neal or such person as 
may be in charge of the property there. 



The present occasion may not be an inappropriate one 
to say that in a matter clearly of dut\- and responsibility 
I am not in the habit of allowing the 'opinions and reports 
of others' to influence m\- public conduct, neither in a mat- 
ter of 'judgement' am I disposed to lose sight entirely of 
my own." 

Mr. Daniel Neal was the first settler on the towns-hip of Linneus, 
and his farm is now the north part of that of P. P. Burleigh. Th(" 
old barn stood on the East side of the road, and was pulled down 
some fifteen years ago. 

The same day a letter was sent to Mr. Towle of the firm of Tcjwle, 
Paisons & Co., the contractors to moye the supplies: 

"I haye instructed Capt. Staniford to leaye the cannon 
at Neals. As soon as all the public property deposited 
at Neal's shall haye been brought in I request you to for- 
\yard on those camion, and not before. I I'espectfully 
request that 3'ou \yill hasten on the public clothing with 
all poss^ible industry- and dispatch as the period is fast ap- 
proaching when the comfort and health of the men re- 
quire the issue of winter clothing." 

On September '2[) the long looked for Companies arriyed at the 
Post and according to the Army Regulations three notifications of 
this eyent were made. One to Col. R. Jones, Adjt. Gen. U. S. 
Army at Washington. The second to regimental Headquarters, at 
Sacketts Harbor, and the third to Dept. Headquarters, 21<S Ful- 
ton St., New York. 

The last letter giyen is the most important of them : 

"I haye the honor to report tiiat the Companies em- 
ployed on the Beayer Brook Road in repairing it arri\ed, 
this day, at this Post. Although more time has been em- 
ployed in this duty than I estimated in a former report 
to the Head Qiiarters of the Department, the amount of 
labor bestowed will not be lost to the public, and the road 
in consequence thereof will probably be found in a better 
condition for use another year than if less labor had now 
been put upon it. 

Mechanics were drawn in the meantime from these 
Companies to aid in the erection of the Qiiarters here ; 
the masons on their arriyal at Beayer Brook, and the car- 
penters subsequently as the sick list, at one time contain- 
ing considerable numbers diminished. I respectfully 



state that Military vSupplies of every description intended 
for this Post should always leave Bangor early in Mavof 
every year in order to reach the head of navigation l:)efore 
the fall of water. Luckily the present season has been 
unusually rainy ; otherwise the command must ha\e been 
obliged to fall back upon its supplies and winter perhaps 
at Baskahegan. Even now a portion of the supplies and 
most ol" the public clothing, owing to a want of water, 
are at this moment deposited upon the bank of the Mat- 
tawamkeag, six miles below Thompson's Camp. A fall 
of rain, which at this moment we have a prospect of soon 
h.aving, will enable the Contractors to bring it up. Should 
the present state of the water, however, continue anv con- 
siderable length of time I shall be obliged to send the Com- 
panies in succession to the place of deposit in order to 
clothe them for the winter." 

These letters clearlv sliow the general outline of the course of 
things in that eventful summer for Houlton. The Companv which 
reached the place in June were set to work, with all dispatch, to 
make a Military Post with its parade ground, quarters for soldiers 
and otficers, hos-pital, magazine, and stockade around all. The 
privates were quartered in tents and rude huts. The Command- 
hig Officer, Surgeon, and vStatl' boarded in the house of Joseph 
Houlton. It would appear that the movement to Houlton was un- 
dertaken with most inadequate conceptions, on the part of all the 
authorities, as to the nature of the communications between I^an- 
gor and Houlton, and the facilities ("or doing the work of con- 
stru6ting a Post. 

Major Clarke found hiuiself surrounded with difficulties from 
the time he left Capt. Staniford at the Mattawamkeag River. But 
with a soldier's resolution he faced the situation and did all he 
could. The well-known site selected by Lieut. Gallagher for the 
Barracks could not have been better chosen, and after it was made 
into the complete Post, always excited the admiration of all the of- 
ficers of the Army who came here. When work began upon the 
ground, in the hitter part of June, it was a very rough piece of 
ground. A large projection of ledge occupied the central part of 
that portion assigned for the parade ground. This was removed 
after a lengthv and laborious job of blasting ; the refuse was used 
to fill the hollows, and much more material hauled up to make the 
surface of the parade ground up to the standard of smoothness. 
The soldiers with their own labor and horses, cut, hauled, shaped, 
and set up the picket fence or stockade. A few of these still stand 



where put by the Inlantiy, and many more have been taken down 
and piled into the fences. 

To hasten on the construction of the buildings, Maj. Clarke em- 
ployed everyone he could get to work for him. Mr. \V. H. Cary 
served him as master carpenter, Mr. Warner as framer, and Mr. 
Isaac Smith burned lime, and furnished teams all summer long. 
, Even with this help the work could not progress as needed, and 
besides this pay roll of nearly two thousand dollars a month to cit- 
izens, the Commander was obliged to draw from Capt. Staniford's 
detachment every skilled laborer he had, and leave th.e work on 
the road to the men who could furnish their two hands and nothing 
more. The scheme of the building was to surround the parade 
ground with strudlures on the West, North and East, with the fla"- 
staff' near the entrance way at the South end. The magazine was 
located some distance oft', beyond the N. W. angle, and Hospital 
back from the line of the other buildings, in the S. E. set5tion of 
the enclosure. The quarters for the privates extended round two 
sides of the quadrangle, and larger and more commodious houses 
for the orticers were built along the East side. 

In spite of all the endeavor of Commander and men, so great 
were the difliculties of the situation, the Barracks were not com- 
pleted enough to shelter all the troops, and some of them wintered 
in their tents. The officers remained at Air. Houlton's, and, in- 
deed, did not get moved into their own quarters till the close of 
the second season. 

Words fail to express the change in the situation, and in the 
feelings of the settlers which the domialing of this large body of 
troops among them made. Our older people can merely sav, "It 
made such a change. The marauders from the Province not only 
kept away, but the calls for work of every description fairly waked 
up every person in the Plantation. There was something for 
every one to do, even down to the bo}s oi' seven to eight years of 
age, and pay was prompt in the gold coins of the Nation." 

Like the bounty of Joseph Houlton and Aaron Putnam to the 
starving people, in the cold years of the infant settlement, this 
bounty of the National Power came at a time of need, and gave 
full expansion to the best endeavors of the entire community. 



TH & CO., 

JoIil)8[s and P,e(ailers of — 



M\\\ Groms, Teas aM Coffees, 

CORN, CRACKED CORN M MEAL, 

Buckwh-eat Flovir and Bran, "Wlieat Bran 
and Middlings, 

OATS, J^OLiLiED OATS Rfit) OAT jVIEALi, 

AliLi KINDS Op ^VIIIiLi FEEDS. 

A^E ARE AGENTS FOR THE BAY STATE FERTILIZERS. 

Special Trades in Flour, Molasses and Tea. 

RKNIOVAL. 

Wc ha\e removed our Inisiness to our NEW BUIi^DIXG, just across 
he street from tlie old stand, and now have one of the most convenient 
tores foi- our business there is to be found anywhere. 

The success \\ ith which we ha\e met in the past year has led us to be- 
ieve that the public appreciate 

SOUIIRE DEHUNG. — HONEST GOODS. — LIVING PRICES. 

W'e will be pleased to see all in need of anything in our lines. 

Thanking all for the liberal patronage with which we ha\ e been 
avored, we remain. Respectfully yours, 

HIRAM SMITH & CO. 



Hiram smith 

I. H. SEELY. 



STOCKBRIDGE 




FERTILIZER 




Referring to the above photograph of potatoes raised on Stockbridge Potato Manure, Mr. 
A. Barker, Newport, R. I., writes : "These crops were raised by the late Alanson Peckham, Midd 
ton, R. I. In 1SS7 ^^ plan^^d seven acres of corn on old land that had not been plowed for fifty yea 
or more. Before plowing- he spread on seaweed, and used 2000 lbs. of Stockbridge in the hills; t 
corn stood on an average 10 feet high; he had i,Sqo shooks, husked 1,000 bushels of ears, and on 
about 50 bushels of small, or hog corn. In iSSS he applied $10 worth of stable manure over the sai 
seven acres; planted i '.; acres of this piece with polatoes, using .Stockbridge in the hill; his pots 
seed rotted some, for it was very wet for some time after they were planted; ,he went over the pie 
planting common French turnip seed where the potatoes did not come up. He harvested fiom tl 
I '2 acres, 270 bushels of large smooth potatoes, and 250 bushels of French turnips, very large, avera 
ing nine to the bushel. All the potatoes in the photograph weighed not less than i'^ lbs. apiece." 



: STOCKBRIDGE 
SPECIAL COMPLETE MANURES 

Were the original special fertilizers in this country, and were originatel 
bv Prof. Levi Stockbridge, Professor of Agriculture in the Mass. Agrt 
cultural College. The}' were tried experimentall}- as early as 1867, and 
were introduced commercially in 1876, and since then have been used e> 
tensively throughout the Eastern and Middle States. 



Socks to make all that is now known of the principles of plant nutrition 
of pracftical use, and is founded on the knowledge of the deficiences and 
tardv action in average soils, and the composition and wants of plants as 
shown l")v exliaustive annahses. Accepting the soil with all its functions 
and oifices as the seed and root bed of plants, it turns to the living, 
growing crop, and aims to supply it with the food it seeks in such form, 
kind, proportion and quantitv as is specially required throughout the 
SLMson, and which the soil and air <lo not supplv in the right form, pro- 
portion and quantitv to produce maximum crops. 

In other words, it seeks to feed the plant rather than the soil, for the 
soil has no life in itself hence no wants. It is the plant that lives and 
grows upon food fed to it by nature or by man. 

Imitation is the sincerest flattery, and as the JVeiv England Fai'mer 
savs, the Stockbridge Manures have been extensivelv copied, but un- 
fortunately the copies have not been equal to the originals in crop pro- 
lucing power. 

The Stockbridge Manures are both complete and special. They are 
complete in that the}' contain all th^ required elements of plant food, 
and are special in that they contain these elements in forms best suited to 
the crops or classes of crops to be grown, and for this reason have given 
almost universal satisfaction. Thev give not onlv an early, vigorous 
start, but a continuous growth from beginning to end. 

For further information regarding these fertilizers, send to us for cata- 
logue, mailed free. 

BOWKER FERTILIZER CO., 

iNo. 43 Chatham Street, - - BOSTON, MASS. 



HOULTON, - MAINE. 

We shall have a large stock of these Fertilizers, and will be pleased to 
have you call and see us before purchasing. 



THE "EXCELSM" NEWS DEPOT. 



37 MARKET SQUARE, HOULTON. 




s, 



B¥, Mlllliy KDDi, 




3Roo2n Paper and C"uirtams. 
We keep a full line of ARTISTS' MATERIALS. 

An\- book published in the U. vS. can be procuied in the quickej^t tina 
possible. Please give us a call. 




V. G. SOMERVILLE, 



-DEALER IN- 



iMBATS* 



i 



^^T isctiS'rA.iBrwisa'^, 4^ ooivTrR;^^ fJ i^oi>tjcE; , 



CANNED GOODS, ETC. 
Main Street, - - Houlton, Maine 



THE MILITARY RGABS. 



CHAPTER IX. 



The plan to make a deaionstration in force on the disputed Fron- 
tier of the Northeast, as has been stated, was entered upon bv the 
War Department with most limited and even erroneous knowledge 
as to the possibilities of reaching any particular point, or the in- 
evitable hardships of the route, when entered upon. It would ap- 
pear from the letters of Major Clarke that he was led to believe 
there was an easily navigable waterwav to within a few miles of 
the selected spot for the Post, and that a road alreadv was made 
fiom the landing at the head of navigation to the village of Houl- 
ton, which merely needed a little repairing to make it passable for 
the troops with their heavv train of guns, ammunition, and sup- 
plies. With this preconceived idea of quite excellent opportunitv 
for communication, he came up, in the earlv part of June, on the 
swollen streams, saw one or too rapids that might make some little 
trouble, and actually pushed up Beaver Brook, four miles, before 
he thought he had reached the end of easv navigation. 

Then, without making a personal survev of the route over that 
road which he had been informed of, he set Capt. Staniford, with 
the three companies, to the task of repairing the wav, and of bring- 
ing the long train to Houlton. He himself turned about, retraced 
his steps to the mouth of the Baskahegan, and came up over that 
trail, whither Lieut. Gallagher and Company C has just passed. 
How he was disappointed at the delavs on the Beaver Brook road, 
became anxious about his supplies, lost his temper a little when 
the Subordinate tried to sav he had done the best he could under 
the circumstances, all these things have been stated in the interest- 



ing letters. The full extent of the vexatious delays is more full\ 
made knowu by a later letter, wherein is set forth the consequences 
of so much delay and exposine to the weather as uas the lot of the 
ordnance stores. 

The letter is addressed to Captain Riple\ , Ord. Corps, Kenne- 
bec Arsenal, Augusta, Ale., and is dated October 27th, 1<S;>4: 

" I enclose herewith an extract from the remarks made 
upon my Inventoiy of Ordnance Stores, aHbrding you all 
the information in mv power to give in answer to \(>uv 
inquirv in ^■our letter of the 4th inst. ; except at General 
Wool's inspec!:tion, made on the 7th of Juh , 1S31, it was 
stated to him that the fixed ammunition was damaged on 
its way to this Post in 1H28, by reason of having I>een ex- 
posed, during the wet season of that year bv transporta- 
tion in light boats on the Penobscot and Mattawamkeag 
Rivers, at which period there was no road from Bangor 
to this Post, except what was then made by the troops in 
their progress, which was exceedingly slow ; the stores 
being in consequence thereof exposed to the weather for 
several weeks." 

A further evidence of incompleteness of knowledge of the actual 
situation on the part <jf tlie War Department is shown liv the rev- 
elation of the plan, through additional letters, not meieh- to "• re- 
pair the Beaver Brook Road," but also, in the same season, to 
construct a prolongation of the Military Road up to Mars Hill, or 
to the vSouthern-most point of the British claim. 

On September 2d, 182H, before Maj. Clarke had recei\ed anv of 
his supplies, and the three companies were apparently lost in the 
woods below, he writes to Lieut J. B. Russell, A. Q^ M., at Ban- 
gor : 

"I am in receipt of vour two letters of the 24:th and 
25th ult., and also the requisition and copy of instru<itions 
to Samuel Cook, Esq. As soon as Air. Cook shall set 
out upon the duty assigned him, I shall furnish him with 
men agreeably to vour requisition. He states to me that 
he cannot possibly leave here before Tuesday next. 

Taking into consideration the period of vour departure 
from Bangor, on your exploring expedition, and tiie fact 
that no one here so suitable as Mr. Cook can be procured 
in his stead, I have concluded to assure him that his ser- 
vices will be accepted on the day specified by him." 
The a6tual nature of the instructions to Mr. Cook are plainly in- 
ferred in a later letter to Lieut. Russell, who had himself mean- 



time come t<j Hoiilton to investigate the situation. October 23(1, 
l'S2>>, the Commander aclclressed him at the Barracks: 

"I do not see, under tlie ciicumstances ot the case, as 
vou have stated them to me. hut that vou are compelled 
to postpone the sur\e\' of the route for a Alilitary Road 
from lloulton Plantation to Mars Hill, unless Mr. Cook's 
health, which is imjM-ohahle. should be so far restored as 
to enal)le him to aci under vour insttiiclions to him in all 
this month, or early in the next. In this event you could 
make a supplemental Report to tlie Qj'. Master General. 

I would mention to v(^u, however, as an additional rea- 
son for the postponement of the survev that the services 
of the numl)er oi" men vou would require of this com- 
mand to aid Air. Cook are essentuallv necessarv here in 
the preparations for the winter. Your own personal ol)- 
servations of uhat is sjjoing on at the Post, and what must 
necessarilv l)e done before winter, will enable vou to ex- 
plain this sul))ect satisfactorilv to Gen. Jessup." 

It is now time to <^ive heed to the third extract made from the 
Registrv of Deeds, which was reprinted at the head of the last 
chapter. The purchaser was "James Thomas, of the City and 
State of New York, Gentleman." He was the most important 
and influential person, outside of the Army Officers, who came to 
Houlton in the Garrison \ears. He is described by our older 
people as being, at that time, aliout sixtv years of age, stout built, 
of a light sandv complexion, and of a very gentlemanly deport- 
ment. He complimented Grandmothei- upon her personal appear- 
ance when he first saw her, and in his last call at the house before 
he left the town, some vears later, he saiil, •' I hope when I see 
vou again you will be looking as well as you do now." He died 
shortlv after he went avvav. 

He came to Houlton in the summer of 1828, bearing the com- 
mission of Sutler to the Garrison. His tirst store was opened in 
a room of the house of Isaac Smith. The Sutler's store was after- 
wards built within the enclosure of the Barracks, and stood at 
the right of the entrance. In addition to this duty he had the mail 
contract between Bangor and the Post, over the Soldier Road. He 
hired a man by the name of James Nowland to carry the mail on 
horseback over the Road to the Landing ; then he would take a 
l)oat and float down to Bangor. On the return, he would pole up 
to the Landing where the hoi'se was awaiting him, and thence to 
Houlton on horseback. J. H. .Smith, though hardly nine years 
old, would go down to meet him taking two horses. Col. Thomas, 



as every one called him, was pleasant to each one he came hi con- 
tact with, and would joke with the boy about being IVightened in 
that lonesome ride in the woods to the twehe mile tree. He paid 
Smith generally about half a dollar a trip. 

The matter of getting the military supplies to the Post gave con- 
stant occupation to the energetic men among the settlers. Mr. 
James Taylor is always spoken of when any work of that nature 
was called for. His skill with an ox team was more than ordinary, 
and he soon took up the task of hauling the stores from the Land- 
ing. Hugh Allexander of Linneus was another of* thearmv team- 
sters, and told manv anecdotes of life on the road and river of those 
days. The river and Beaver Brook route became the line of travel 
for all who turned their steps this way. It was not much of an 
improvement over the former ways except that there were fewer 
changes from water to land and land to water again. There could 
be no association of pleasure connected with the journey. All 
men, women and children, enbarked at Oldtown in the flat bot- 
tomed boats, which also carried all the freigiit they would hold ; 
and then began a tedious poling of the boat up to the first falls at 
Piscataquis. Here the carry was made, afterwards overcome in 
steamboat days, by the canal and lock. When this was passed and 
everything put back on to the boat the slow poling was resumed. 
Four miles above the Mattawamkeag occur tht? rapids of Slugu- 
way, as Major Clark stvled them, commonly styletl, Slugundy. 
Here and at Piscataquis it will be remembered the luckless stores 
of the Garrison lay a long time, and the delay gave cause to so 
much trouble. When this latter rough water was passed the boat 
route continued uninterruptedly till the Soldier Landing was reached 
if there was water enough. At this place the jDassengers must take 
what conveyance there might be over the rough corduroy and un- 
turnpiked miles of the Soldier Road. The women and little ones 
jDcrhaps could ride, but for the rest it was merely a fair chance to 
walk through the woods. 

It was inevitable that on such a route there should arise occasion 
of great discomfort, when accident or delay overtook the party. 
It was but a protracted exposure to storm and wind, with the 
chances of freshet added. The story runs that a small party were 
working their way up, at one time, and two of the men had their 
wives with them. Delays were met with, and the progress was 
exceedingly slow. While yet a good ways below the Landing, 
one of the women found herself overtaken by the pangs of travail 
and a halt of the whole company was made. The boat was im- 
loaded, drawn on shore, turned upside down, and covered with 
the canvass which was usually spread over the freight. This seem- 



ed as a shelter for the women, and the men built a rough camp a 
short distance oil. In these quarters the company remained for a 
number of days, till the little stranger and the mother could take 
up the tiresome journev. Those of us who have come, in later 
years, whether over the finished stage road with its hospitable 
taverns, or yet more recently, in the fast running cars, can form 
but slight opinion of those cheerless days and hours in that first 
period of direct travel to Bangor. 

The experience which Major Clarke had with the ditficulties of 
this way, in the summer and fall of 1.S2-S, showed plainl}- to him 
that no matter whose interest it m:iy have served to give to the War 
Depaitment the idea that the water way up to Beaver Brook was 
to the advantage of the Government, it was of no use to continue 
to be tied up to so round about a course. The letter book again be- 
comes of interest, and the plan of extrication is developed, though 
no clue is afforded as to whether he had explicit orders for the step 
or took the resp(jnsihilit\- himself. If it was tlie latter he was most 
clearly justified in his course. 

December 7, 18:^8, he writes to Mr. Ellis, Agent for Towle, 
Parsons & Co., Thompson's Cam]:) : 

"You are requested to deliver to Sergt. Pike, for the 
use of his party, as much provisions as will subsist his 
party for twent\' days ; that is to say, twenty complete 
rations for fourteen men, and twenty rations of extra 
whiskey for the same period and same number of men, for 
which the Sergeant is directed to give you a receipt." 

Next to Mr. Cook, who seems to have won the confidence and 
esteem of the Commanding Officer from the very first, and to have 
been of very great service to him all the time, he writes on the 
same day : 

"To Samuel Cook, Esq^., 

S/r : — You are requested to accompany the party of 
men commanded by Sergeant Pike, and aid him with )our 
counsel and advice in the prosecution of the service in 
which he is sent. The Sergeant is directed to follow your 
opinicMis implicitly, as to the mode of opening and com- 
pleting the road from the Crotch of the Mattawamkeag to 
the point where your line, run with a view to this road, 
touches the route from Houlton to Thompson's Camp. 

Should you, on further examination, find that the route 
laid down Ijy you can be improved, or rather straightened, 
you are authorized to run and mark it accordingly. You 
are requested also to instruct the Sergeant in the mode of 



making winter roads in this section of country, and give 
liim such advice connected vvitli the project of completing- 
tbis road, generalh', and such bridges and other improve- 
ments as mav be necessarw 

I shall immediatelv a)mmunicate with the Assisbmt 
Qiiarter Master at Bangor relative to vour emplovn:>ent 
in this business, and the compensation }'ou ought to re- 
ceive for voiu" ser\ ices." 

Tliis \ery complimentary letter of instructions plainly implies 
the fi\ct that Mr. Cook had already been sent over the route to run 
the lines of a road which would take the straight couise from that 
camp to rhe Forks. It must have been, in its comse, identical 
with the permanent road of four years later, for a large part of the 
way. 

Having instructed Mr. Cook as to the nature of his work the 
next step was to provide his food, and the letter to the contrac- 
tors follows : 

>.r "You will be good enough to deliver to Mr. Cook such 
amount of Subsistence Stores as he mav need while em- 
ployed with Sergeant Pike's party, and take his receipt 
for the same, specifying each article as well as the num- 
ber of pounds. I will make similar arrangement with 
respect to this quantity of Subsistence to that respecting 
the rations delivered to Sergeant Pike and /iis party." 

The Orders to Sergeant Pike follow, and the main directions, 
after telling him to present the letter to the contractors and receive 
his supplies, go on to say : 

"■ One Corporal and twelve privates are placed under 
the Sergeant's command, with whom he will proceed, after 
establishing a comfortable and con\enient camp for the 
use of his party, to open a roatl from the Crotch of the 
Mattawamkeag, on a line run by jSIr. Cook, to the road 
recently made by the Troops from Thompson's Camp to 
Houlton. As Mr. Cook will accompanv Sergt. Pike, 
the .Sergeant will receive advice from him as to the mode 
of opening the road and completing it for immediate use 
and will follow such advice implicitly. 

Should Mr. Cook, after due inspection, be of the opinion 
that the road can be straightened with benefit to the Unit- 
ed States, the Sergeant will put the necessary labor upon 
the new line which Mr. Cook may mark out. * * « 

P. S. — The Sergeant will report, as an opportunity 



may occur, his procuress in tliis service, and apply for any 
assistance he nia\' need." 

In a letter to Headquarters, E. Department, Nevy York, inuler 
date of January 14th, 1H2!), Major Clarke writes of the completion^ 
of Ser^^eant Pike's work, and also of the \vork of another detach- 
ment wliich had been put to the task of cutting out the winter road 
to Mars Hill, w hich, at first, was to be done in the summer. He 
then goes on to giye his settlers conclusions about building these 
long roads through a heavih' wooded country with only soldier la- 
bor : 

''The labor of making roads in this country, owing 
to the nature of the soil and the growth upon it, will be 
found to be very great if it is intended to work it after the 
manner of a turnpike. I therefore ver}- much doubt 
whether the troops can possibly, during the ensuing sea- 
son, make more than that portion of it leading from this 
Point to the Mattawamkeag. As the Post is incomplete 
it will be necessary to retain, during that season, all the 
mechanics of every description, and a considerable num- 
ber of men for laborers, and also a sufficient number fit 
for duty to perform the tours of a small guard for security 
of prisoners in confinement. 

In this view of the probable operations at this Post i re- 
spectfully suggest, if it be deemed of importance to hasten 
the completion of the ]Militar\- Road, that hired laborers 
might be put upon that part ol' it leading from the West 
bank of the jMattawamkeag to its confluence with the Pen- 
obscot, and thus, ]Drobably, complete in one season the 
whole line of road from this latter point to Houlton, leav- 
ing the residue of tlie line from hence to Mais Hill for op- 
eration in future years." 

The effect of this letter upon the minds of the authorities seems 
to have been to bring about an entire change of plan, and no more 
work was done bv soldier labor West of the Barracks, and, after, 
about a year and a half, the plans were matured to build, under con- 
tract, a first-class, turnpiked way from the North of the Matta\vam- 
keag straight through to the Barracks, and have no reference, nec- 
essarily, to any of this half complete work which the soldiers had 
been able to do. 

After this lapse of time, a full sixty years, there are not many of 
our townspeople remaining who were personally familiar with this 
work of building that Road. Mr. John H. Clough yvas born in 
the town of Phillips, then in Somerset Co., February 14th, 1811. 



In the winter of 1830 he worked in the woods on the Mohmkus 
stream tor the firm of Jones & Dvvinal of Stillwater. He was ex- 
pert as an ox teamster, and for three weeks, while the men went 
further up to make the camp, he tarried with the oxen at the stream 
where now the bridge of the Military Road crosses it. He saw 
then, on the trees about him, the three lines to mark out the Road 
w^hich had been run the summer before. One line for the centre 
of the highway and the others, three rods distant, on each side. 
His concern made tlieir winter's work, then went out, and, at 
driving time, came back to their landings walking up through the 
winter road which had been cut out since he took care of his oxen 
at the bridge. Col. Eben Webster of Orono and his brother Elijah 
had taken a contract to cut out that road, and had done so. The 
supplies for the Post had been hauled through tliat new channel 
during the greater part of the season. 

In the course of the next summer, Parker P. Burleigh made his 
first trip into this county- He walked from six miles below Mat- 
tawamkeag Point through this winter load to Linneus. 

Mr. Clough did not return to this section of the State until the 
month of June, 1832. He had been down to the Province for a 
time among friends and at that date started on foot for Bangor, 
over the Military Road. The whole Road then was under con- 
tract, but work was most active on the lower portion, just at that 
time. The contractors were. Col. Charles Jarvis of Ellsworth for 
the lower portion, and Col. Thomas of Houlton for the portion 
above the Forks. The crew of Col. Jarvis were busy on the 
Caribou bog in Glenwood, and places nearby- Just as Mr. Clough 
reached them their large camp caught fire and he helped with the 
rest, to put out the flames. In three weeks time he returned on 
horseback, and found the work progressing, but faster below than 
at this end. The force of Col. Thomas did not work above Carv's 
Mills. Joseph Houlton, Jr., took a sub-contr;!Ct of one mile from 
the Post, and Jonah Dunn built the two miles between his con- 
tract and the Mills. 

The greater part of the work was finished in that season so 
that, as winter came on, it was thought to be a fine road. On the 
IGthof December a party of people left Freeman, .Somerset County, 
and drove through in four days to Houlton. In that company was 
Mrs. Susan Hiscock who is still living with her sons on their farm. 
She was unmarried then, and was accompanied b}' her brother 
Freeman Gilkey. The only hardship experienced by these trav- 
ellers was the utter lack of decent hotel accommodations this side 
of Bangor. 

The Road as first tui'npiked did not prove to be wide enough to 



suit the Government, and the \\ hole road bed was widened out 
lour leet, presumably by the contractors on their several portions. 
Four years later the work of building from the Barracks toward 
the Province was undertaken by soldier labor, except in the case of 
teams and teamsters. Mr. James Taylor came into note here with 
a six ox team, and during- part of the work two yoke of oxen l)e- 
longing to Mr. .Smith were added for plowing and scraping. 

The whole road Ited was made to conform to the requirements 
of the Government Engineers, and the work of repairing, in each 
spring, was done in the most systematic aianner. For some time 
this repairing w;l> in the hands of another Ellsworth man. 

^V.s soon as the way was passable in the summer season. Col. 
riionias transferred the mail carrying onto it, and had a stage drawn 
bv two horses at tirst. Soon after he put on four horse stages. 

Since this Road was surrendered b\ the United States to the 
State and towns it has steadily deteriorated in condition. None of 
the towns had ambition to keep it up to the high standard and in 
the Plantation it has been altogether neglected. The building of 
the rail\\a\ s took oft" the travel, and it is now for the most part a 
back route but little used. 



SMITH BROS., 



-DEALERS IN- 



Stovbs -vmv Rangbs, 

TINWARE, &c. 

Phmbing and Pipe Fitting a Specialty. 

First Door East of Snell House, 
HOULTON, - - MAINE. 



-WE SELL^ 



Sheet Uead, Liead Pipe, Zinc, 

Pressed and Japanned Ware, 

flgate Wape, Enameled Kettles. 



-AGENTS FOR THE- 



ATLANTIC WOOD FURNACE. 

I^Castings furnished at short notice for all Stoves made 
in the New England States. .^^^ 

ALL J0BB1H6 DONE WITH NEWNESS BND DISPHTCH. 

Soft Woolen Rag^s taken in exchanoe for Tinware. 



fir:i^itiTr(fi^ ^ 



V .' t 



JOHN WATSON 

Has Just Opened for the HOLIDAY TRADE a 
Larger and Finer Line of 

"I^ocjeps ^ Bpo.'s" Fine Plained ILIape, 

Than Ever Before, Consisting of 

Water Seb^, Ice Pibcber^, Tea Seb^, Table Cambers, Cake 

Ba^keb^, Berry Disbes, Fruib Sbai}d?, Bubber Cooler^, 

(^ard Receivers, Boiiqueb Ya^es, Napkir) Rii)6s, 

toe, vbicb \v"ill be ^okl ab very lo^v- prices. 

-; GUTLERg f 



Our assoi-tmciit of FIM: TAJiLI-: CI TLEBY, in Cases, 
is Inrt/r, Colisistinfl of 

Breakfast, Beef, Game and Fish Carvers, in Ivory, 
Celluloid, Pearl. Walris and Stag Handles. 

TABLE KNIVES and FORKS, MEDIUM and DESSERT SIZES, in PEARL 

Ivory, celluloid and plated Handles. 



LAFI^PS 



We have a large assortment. 

GtiaiidBllers, Piano, LiDrary, Banquet, Bracket ai|(! TaDle Lamps, 

Which we are bound to close at some price, regardless of cost. 
OPP. SNELL HOUSE, 

Market Square, - - Houlton, Maine. 



J.H.SINCLAIR, 

Manufa<^turer and Dealer in all kinds of 

HIVR\lESSES, CO\i\i^RS, ETC. 

TWO DOORS NORTH OF CLARK'S HOTEL, 



EVERYTHING TO BE FOUND IN A 

Kirsx=Class harness Sxore 

ALWAYS ON HAND. 

Repairing Neatly and Promptly Executed, 

All kinds of Carriage Triiiniiiiig do)ie to order. 

WHEN YOa ARE IN WANT OF 



* INSURANCE * 



-CALL ON- 



Next Door west of First KatiORal Bank, - HOOLTON, mniNE. 




PH Bp m so m 



^mm NrHn Hnii in m tm^i? 



How iUM\r has a Suit of Clothes got to fit before yon 

caniiltike it go? I say, in this Coimt}, 3011 have 

o*ot to have a Perfec t Fitting Suit in ordei- 

td make the Custom Tailoring a success. 



XoAV I have got a Cutter that every Man can 
Safely feley upon, and if he does not give you a 
Perfect Fit, in every way, it will not cost you a 
cent. I also have the only JERR TAILOR in the 
County. He has served several years in the Old 
Country, making Coats, and 

When He Makes a Coat it is I'lit up to Stay! 



Now THE Man who Reads this, if he Wears 

AVould do well to call and prove for himself that what I say is true. 

I ALWAYS HAVE ON HAND 

FOREIGN RH^ DOMESTIC ai00lJiEf4S 

In different grades. Also a large line of SAjviPLiES to selecft from. 

C. F. ROSS, 

Opera House Block, - Houlton, Maine. 

REMEMBER I WARRANT A FIT EVERY TIME. 
IS THAT ANY OBECT TO THE BUYER? 



IN THE GARRISON YEARS. 



CHAPTER X. 

The establishment of the Garrison and the construction of tlie 
Military Road are worthy of the space bestowed upon their story, 
for the results arising there from were to be of greatest moment to 
the town. 

The presence of the Militar\ force in the Hancock Barracks was 
an immediate cause of strength, but rather more in its effect upon 
the minds of the inhabitants than from the fact of the strength which 
a fortified Post might be assumed to give to a place. The Post at 
Houlton was not fortified in any sense of the term. The grounds 
were enclosed by a stockade or picket fence, but no earthworks 
were thrown up or guns for defensive purposes put in position. 

After the completion of the Barracks the officers brought their 
families here and as thevall were men of education, experience, 
and tact, their intercourse with the settlers was most beneficial, 
and mutually agreeeble. Major Clarke brought his wife and two 
children, a son, Frank, and daughter, Louisa. Ca.pt. B. A. Boyn- 
ton of Co. E was unmarried, bub had a sister who lived with him 
for a time. Capt. G. Dearborn of Co. K, afterwards promoted 
to the rank of Major, did not come to the Post until into the follow- 
ing winter after liis company had helped m;die the Soldier Road. 
From private letters of his it.wpuld appeiir that he came with part 
of the company, or with a squad of recruits, and came up over Ser- 
geant Pike's new road which was very rough. The thermometer was 
at22'' below zero, and the soldiers suffered very much on the 
route. Greenlief Dearborn was born in Hallowell, Me., and en- 
tered the army July 2(], 1812, he was married in the City of Bos- 
ton, to Miss Pamela A. vS. Gilman, daughter of Allen Gilman, 
Esq., of Bangor, who was the first Mayor of that city. Another 
daughter of Mi'- Allen married Joseph Carr, [r., and lived some 
yerirs in Houlton. A third daughter was the mother of Mrs. J. 



Donnell. Mrs. DL-arhorn sdoii toUowcd her husband to Houlton, 
and remained here all the seven \ears of his stay. She told her 
friends they were the seven happiest years of her life. Tvvo daugh- 
ters were born to tlieni during their sojourn at the Barracks. The 
elder married Lieut. R. B. Ayers, afterwards Brig. Gen. of Vol- 
unteers, and she died in IJSI^S. The vounger daughter married 
JNlajor C. II. Boyd of Portland, and they still reside there. 

L'apt. Dearboiii uas ranking officer next to Major Clarke, and 
twice, in his al)sence, t(jok command of the Post. The longer 
period was from i\lay loth, Lsy,'), until February Gth, l<s;5(),and at 
this time he had received the Brevet and Titleof Major. 

After his command left Houlton, he ser\ed in the Indian wars 
until 1S41, when he was assigned to dutv in the Northwest and 
rose to the rank of Lt. Col. In the spring of 1846 he was grant- 
ed sick leave, ami died the next September. 

Mrs. Dearborn always afterwards made her home in Portland, 
where she died about I'SO,'). 

Lieutenant G. W. Patten, who came here in 1831, married 
Miss Sarah vSmith, second daughter of Isaac B. andLydia (Houlton) 
Smith. He remained at the Post about five years. Two children 
were born to them before he was ordered to Florida. By these 
statements it can be readily seen that the Garrison and the com- 
munity were on a footing of equality and confidence. 

Col. Thomas, the Sutler and Mail Contractor, did a good deal 
during his stay here to stimulate the business of the place. He 
had already bought the piece of land East of the Barracks street, as 
has been noted, and in a short time bought considerable more of 
others, in that vicinity. His largest real estate transactions how- 
ever were the purchase of Lot No. 8, of Stephen Peabody of Sun- 
bury County, N. B., and of Lot 2, from Amos Putnam. 

Lot No. 8 lies just East of the Cook Brook, and still retains the 
name, in the "Thomas pasture," which all know about. When 
Mr. Clough first came by there, in the spring of 1832, Col. Thomas 
had a large crew of men planting potatoes on the new land. 
Nathaniel J. Treat, of Bangor, came to Houlton to clerk for Col. 
Thomas, and remained here for a number of years. After tlie lat- 
ter gave up the Sutlership, Mr. Treat received the appointment. 
When he in turn made way for a successor, he built a store on the 
Road, at the entrance to the Garrison, and carried on business 
on that spot till he moved away. His brother John Treat, who 
now lives at Enfield, clerked for him in 1840. This Tieat store in 
later years was moved by Charles Smith down in town, next to the 
old stage stable, on Main street, and, about 18G7, was destroyed 
by fire. 



Deaths had ah-eady occurred in the ranks of the settlers, for Mr. 
Joshua Putnam had died before the advent of the soldiers, as also 
Caroline, the first born child of James and Sarah (Haskell) Houl- 
ton, who had died September ■24th, 18'25, at the age of seventeen. 
On Sunday afternoon of August 12th, 1832, Mr. Joseph Houlton 
satin the chair by the window of his house and saw the soldiers 
tile down b}-, on their way to the afternoon meeting ; then in a few 
moments, without an>^ apparent interval of suffering, drew his last 
breath. He was seventy-six years of age, and has been a resident 
in the place twenty-five years, both as its founder and leader. His 
sudden death startled the communitv. Henrv Smith distinctlv re- 
members that Miss Boynton ran in and told his mother of the fact. 
At the hour of the funeral. Major Clarke paraded the troops and 
gave the dead leader of the town a Military funeral, the soldiers 
firing the final salute as though an otficer had been carried to the 
tomb. 

For the first two years of the Garrison the troops could not pa- 
rade and drill in their own grounds as the work of making the pa- 
rade ground was so difficult, and proceeded so slowly. For the 
purposes of drill they used the flat piece of ground at the corner of 
the White Settlement road, near tiie graveyard, where now the 
Gillin building stands. 

By the letter book, Major Clarke had a i'urlough in the summer 
of 1821), and Capt. Dearborn first appears as commander. In a 
letter of July ■21)th, of that summer, he writes to R. Lowndes, Esq., 
Assist. Adj't. General E. Mil. Dept. : 

"To graduate the parade ground at this Post a ton of 
Gunpowder, with what has already been used for this 
purpose, will probably be required. A Requisition on 
the Q. Master for this powder has been partially complied 
with, and much of it expended : but he has just informed 
me that his account for this expenditure has not been al- 
lowed at the Treasury Department. Of course he can 
issue no more. 

As this powder is absolutely necessary to prepare the 
parade (which is a ledge of rocks) in any reasonable time, 
and until it is levelled, we have no groimd where we can 
drill a battallion, or even a full company. I beg leave to 
call the Commanding General's attention to the subject and 
ask him to make a representation of the matter to the pro- 
per authority at Washington, that we may receive the pow- 
der to enable us to prosecute the work commenced." 

It would appear that this most unreasonable interference with the 



progress of preparing tlie parade ground was speedily done away 
with, and, indue time, the work was finished. So well was that 
work done that the ground has defied the eflects of time since, and 
but little work would be needed to restore it to its former perfec- 
tion. It was noted, during all the years of the occupation, as be- 
ing the finest parade ground in the service. 

December 2d, 1828, the commander writes to his Headquarters 
of the enticement away of two of the soldiers and forwards affidavits 
to prove by whom the work was done. In the closing paragraph 
he continues : 

"I am endeavoring to bring to light the testimony which 
may serve to convict the individual who had the insol- 
ence to entice, and the audacity to etfect, the abduction of 
the two men above mentioned. Should I be so fortunate 
as to obtain the requisite information to enable me to go 
upon sure grounds, I shall bring him to justice, through 
the action of our civil authorities whenever he shall be so 
bold as to come within our jurisdiction." 

The result of his endeavors appears in the letter of December 
5 th : 

'"'' To JosJma Putnam^ Esq.^ Hottltoti Phi>itatioii^ J7^., 

Sir : — I deeili it mv dutv to make known to you that 
one, Thomas G. Cunlitle, calling liimself a Captain of 
Militia, in the Province of New Brunswick, did attempt 
on the 27th of November, 1828, at Houlton Plantation, to 
procure the desertion of Priv. John Rompote, a soldier in 
the 2d Reg. U. S. Inft'y, by recommending him to desert 
that same dav, and promising to transport him immedi- 
ately to Woodstock in that Province, and that, at the same 
time and place, did endeavor to entice Priv. Norman Rob- 
inson, a soldier in the same Pi^egiment, to desert by say- 
ing that if the said Robinson was taken short and disliked 
the service, to come to him and he would assist him. 
With the reference to this statement and the enclosed 
copy of affidavits, I make formal complaint to you as a 
Magistrate, and request that you proceed against the said 
Cunlifle according to law." 

The result of this ajDpeal to the civil arm of the law is alluded 
to in another lengthy letter of date of March 9th, 1829, to the 
Headquarters, in which the Major states : 

"In referring to the letter of the 2d December, last, I 



have the satisfaction to state that the civil authorities here 
at my soHcitation, issued a warrant for the apprehension 
of the individual alluded to in that letter, who, taking 
counsel of his guilt, has not dared to repeat his visit to 
Iloulton." 

The Magistrate Putnam was the oldest son of Proprietor John 
Putnam, and made his first visit to the Grant with Edmund Cone 
and Edwin Townsend in 1815. He did not tarry long then in 
the settlement, but returned to New Salem, and in about eight 
years thereafter married Miss Lucia Clark, a niece of Mrs. Aaron 
Putnam. With a wife and three children he returned to Houlton, 
byway of St. John river, at about the time of the coming of the 
soldiers. He settled upon the South half of Lot 3G, where now 
A. K. Bradford lives. A year or two later, the father being dead, 
the second son, John Varnum, came to Houlton, and brought his 
mother and sister Eunice. The two brothers always remainetl in 
this section after that date, although at the time of the death of 
their mother they were living in the Plantation of No. 11, R. L 
Three of Joshua Putnam's boys married daughters of Edmimd 
Cone. His wife died in May, 1870, and he died in June, 187o. 
His sister Eunice married James Ballard of Amherst, Mass., and 
they lived a few years in No. 10, where she died. John Varnum 
was not married till after quite a number of years residence in 
Houlton. His wife was Elizabeth Jenkins, who was born in the 
town of York, York Co., and she had two boys. Black Plawk and 
Oscola. The latter died at two years of age, the oldei" boy has 
become our respected townsman and ex-sheriti", as his father be- 
fore him. The mother died not long after the younger boy, and 
Capt. Varnum in May, 187*J. 

One of the most profitable opportunities connected with the 
Garrison supplies was that of the beef contract for the year. J. V. 
Putnam had this contract for some years, and would make periodi- 
cal trips to the Western part of the State to buy up a sufficient 
number of cattle to answer his purpose, and drive them through 
the woods to Houlton. The necessity to do this lasted for nearly 
ten years after the arrival of the troops, and only disappeared witli 
the fuller settlement of the County and the raising of beef near by. 

The contract for wood was another profitable opening for the 
inhabitants of the Plantation. A great deal of wood was used in 
the year, and as the pay was in the shining gold it was worth striv- 
ing after. The greater pait of the smooth hardwood was cutoff' 
the Houlton farms and hauled to the Garrison. Before the second 
winter of the occupation, taught sufficiently b}' one winters ex- 



pericnce, the Conimandcr wrote to Headquarteis for an adequate 
siipph' ot fuel to meet their wants : 

"The allowance of wood in this climate, the degree of 
latitude l)eing- 4(5 deg. i;) niin. is not equal to the quantity 
nccessar\' to a due comf)rl during the severity of the win- 
ter. I deem it a duty therefore to recommend an in- 
crease of allowance in faxor ofthis Post of one half at 
least during the months of December, January, February 
and March. When the fact that the Post, with a single 
exception, is the most Northern of all the Military Posts 
in the United States, and that it is not situated like the ex- 
cepted one and others nearly as high in latitude, in the 
midst of a public domain to which resort might be had 
for an adequate supply of fuel, is taken into consideration 
it w ill not, I believe, be deemed a presumption on my part 
to recommend the increase in faxor of this Post. 

The fuel here is furnisiied on a contract ; the Com- 
manders of Companies, therefore, in order to keep up a 
due degree of comfort for the men during the winter 
months, which in this climate may be said to include 
November, have no other resource, in the absence ot a 
wood lot belonging to the Government than to purchase 
on behalf of the men, or consume during the winter the 
allowance for the summer months." 

In the depth of the winter of IS.'iG orders were received from 
Headquarters of the Army to detach Companies F and R, under 
the command of Major Dearborn, from the Post, and that they 
should proceed forthwith to Boston. Under date of February 6th, 
1836, Major Clarke directs Lieut. J. M. Hill the Act. Assistant 
Qiiartermaster of the Barracks to prepare the transportation for the 
battalion, in these terms: 

"By reference to the Gen'l Order, No. 9, you will per- 
ceive that vou are required to furnish the necessary trans- 
portation to F and K Companies under the command 
of Major Dearborn, tf) enable them to prosecute the march 
to Boston Harbor. In this case I consider an amount of 
transportation equal to the transportation of the whole 
command, including the authorized number of women, 
is necessary in consideration of the season at which it is 
required to move it. It is now mid winter, the snow is 
deep, the roads are unbeaten and will continue to grow 
worse by evei-y new fall of snow. The degree of cold is 
great, the thermometer having been for several days a 



numberof degrees below zero. A march of Maj. Dear- 
born's detachment, with barely an allowance of transpor- 
tation sntHcient to transport its provisions and stores, would 
not only be a tedious one, but by the hardships and ex- 
posures to which it would subject the whole body, its 
health and etliciency would be greatly impaired. In this 
view I entertain of the matter 3'ou will perceive that I am 
of the opinion that a sufficient numberof sleds to trans- 
port every member of the detachment is proper and nec- 
essary." 

Such an undertaking in the dullness of the winter season was a 
help again to the settlers, for it was by their teams and sleds that 
the movement could be made. Just who of the townspeople took 
hold of this work the record does not show but Maj. Clarke an- 
nounced to Headquarters, three days later, that the arrangements 
for the march having been completed, the detachment was to have 
moved that day but was detained by a severe snow storm, and 
would doubtless move awa}- the day after. This removal termin- 
ated Maj. Dearborn's connection with Houlton. 

Lieut. Patten of Co. F was also detached from service at the 
Post, at the same time, and removed with his family to Hartford, 
Conn. In the winter of 18^57 he had occasion to return to the 
Post, for a time, and then went away again, early in February. 

Lieut. Patten was a native of Rhode Island and a Graduate of 
Brown University. He had a fine literary taste, and unusual skill 
in versification. His comrades always declared that if he had 
devoted himself to literarv persuits he would have taken high 
ranks among our scholars. His natural aptness for song and 
poem found expression in all the fields of his professional career. 
A collection of these pieces was made in 1867, and published by 
Hurd & Houghton of New York. The vohnne is entitled 
" Voices of the Border." Among them are some most familiar 
pieces, which are usuallv published as anonymus. 

The " Seminole's Replv " has been on the tongue of every school 
boy for nearly a generation. To Col. Patten belongs the author- 
ship of that beautifully pathetic song, "The Return." 

"Jovs that were tasted 
May sometimes return ; 
But the torch when once wasted. 
Ah ! how may it burn !" 

The Merry Sleigh is another of the nameless songs which has 
kept its hold upon the hearts of the younger readers : 



"■Jine^lel Jingle I clear the way. 
'Tis the merry, merry sleigh I " 

Perhaps no better single illustration of his power as a composer 
can better be giyen than '*• The Soldier's Dirge." 

*'Oh! toll no bell 

When I am gone 
Let not a bugle swell 
The mournful tale to tell ; 

Bvit let the drum 
With hollow roll 

Tell when the angels come 
To take my soul : 

And let the banner borne before me, 
Wave in azure glory o'er me. 
When I am gone. 

Oh ! shed no tear 

When I am gone. 
Unmanly 'tis to hear 
Sobs at a soldier's bier ; 

But let the peal 
Solemn and slow, 

From minute gun reveal. 
That I am low : 

And with no costly pomp deride me, 
But lean on arms reversed beside me. 
When I am gone." 

He w^ent from Houlton to the Seminole war in Florida, after- 
wards served through the Campaign in Mexico, and also in the 
late War. He rose through successive grades until he reached the 
rank of Lieutenant Colonel of his Regiment, and was at last placed 
on the retired list of the army. When this had taken place he 
chose to come back to the early home of his wife and of his first 
experience as an Officer. 

He bought the farm which had always been the home of the 
Smith family, and had all preparations made to erect a fine man- 
sion when he suddenly died in April, 1<SX8. He \vas buried in our 
Cemetery and in three and a half years, or in October bSSfi, the 
mortal remains of his wife were placed by his side. On Memorial 
Day the flag floats above his honored grave. 

In the year 183(5 the attention of the people of the town was 
turned to the matter of building a Meeting House, and in the course 
of three years two Houses were built. The division which had 



taken place in the Congregational l;)C)dv in New England made it- 
self felt in Houlton at this time. The tiist movement was made 
towards building the Unitarian Meeting House. To aid in this 
purpose Aaron Putnam donated the land, and his sons, together with 
the Pearce family and a portion of the Houlton coiniection, con- 
tributed the necessary, funds. 

This House was built in IHoT and is still standing in a ruined 
condition on North St. It was much damaged by fire in January 
1(S88 and the Society decided to al)andon it and build anew on the 
other side of the stream. The building was ready for dedication 
in March 1838, and Rev. Alpheus Harding of New Salem, who 
was a boy at school in the Academy there before Aaron Putnam 
moved awav and had boarded at his house, came to visit his old 
friends and while here aided in the Dedication Services. 

The movement which culminated in the building of this first 
Meeting House seems to have been a withdrawal out of the fold of 
the old church which was organized in the Plantation, twenty-five 
years before, and shortly after that took place, steps were taken to 
build a House for the Congregational Church. 

Rev. Chas. C. Beaman from Ipswich, Mass., came to labor with 
that Church on Dec. 17th, 1837. He had no famih' at that time, 
and brought his mother with him. The Kendall family was the 
foremost in this body, and with them were associated some of the 
Houltons and newer families. Besides this company the officers 
of the Garrison were ready to aid them in their undertakings. 
Accordingly, on March "27th, 1838, a meeting was called to devise 
measures to build a House of Worship. Success crowned their 
eflbrts, sufiicient funds were promised to warrant a forward step 
and, on Jidv 20th of that season, the frame was raised. The 
building was near the Eastern line of Lot 33, which was in the 
possession of the Kendalls. The spot was a sightly one, on the 
high point of ledge where the Main street unites with the Military 
Road. The dedication services for the House was held June IDth, 
1839. Mr. Beaman remained in Houlton until October, 1840, 
when he returned to Massachusetts. He was a man who was suc- 
cessful in the best sense of the term, and enjoyed the distinction 
of being appointed Chaplain to the Garrison. The correspondence 
in the case is most creditable to all the parties. The first letter is 
dated October 20th, 1838 : 

"To the Rev. Chas. C. Beaman, 

Sir: — The following resolve of the Council of Admin- 
istration, convened at this Post, this day by my order, has 
been adopted by the Council and approved by me, viz. : 



Resolved ^ .'5rcl, That the Rev. Chas. C. Beaman of Houl- 
ton be employed to officiate as Chaplain at this Post, and 
that the maximum allowance authorized by la\v be al- 
lowed him for his services. 

(Signed) W. W. Mackall, 

Lieut, and President of the Council. 

(vSigned) J. Hooker, 

Lieut, and Secretary. 

I have the honor to request the expression of \our accept- 
ance of the appointment that, in tlie former event, it may 
be submitted to the Secretary of War, in conformity with 
the Arm\ Regidations. 

I am, sir, with great respett:, 

Your most ob't servant. 

R. M. KiRBY, Major Commanding. 

The changes which haye occured in the (officers of the Post will 
be alluded to in the next chapter. On the 30th of Novembe)- 1838, 
Maj. Kirliy writes to the Adjutant General of the Army, stating 
the fact of this resolve of the Council, and goes on to say : 

''As the regulations of the IHth of August last require 
the approval of the .Secretary of War of the appointment, 
I respectfully solicit his attention to the subject. It is due 
to the Rev. JNIr. Beaman that I should state that he is an 
educated gentleman, of the Congregational Order, and the 
regular settled Pastor of that Church, in this place. His 
scientific acquirements and gentlemanly deportment, well 
qualify him for an instructor, as well as for the religious 
duties of his office." 

Mr. Beaman's connection with the Garrison proved most bene- 
ficial to the troops. He was active in promoting the cause of tem- 
perance, as well as religion, and interesting rewards followed his 
ministrations. 



Also, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, at lO to 15 Per Cent. Discount 

from usual prices. We recommend Gold American Stem 

Winders. Also Genuine Diamond Jewelry at 

GREAT BARGAINS! 

OPEN EVENINGS UNTIL CHRISTMAS. 



JAMES K. OSGOOD, 

DcaleP in WATCHES, CliOCKS <St JEWEIi^V. 

It would be very hard to find a jewelr}- store in jSIaine in which 
more genuine advantages are ofiered to the purchaser than in the 
case is that carried on bv J. K. Osgood, o'J Main street, Houlton, 
Maine. His stock in every department is a good one, chosen with 
great care, and his prices are very low indeed. Here may be 
Ibund watches, clocks, jewelry, eyeglasses, spectacles and other ar- 
ticles generally to be lound in a tirst-class establishment of this 
description. Although he carries a large and varied assortment of 
all goods, Mr. Osgood makes a decided specialty of watches of 
all kinds and grades in which he offers every inducement, either 
for cash or on the instalment plan ; also in clocks }'ou can find here 
any style and at any price, in fact such a stock is carried, compris- 
ing all the latest novelties as well as a full assortment of staple arti- 
cles, that it is easy for the most fastidious purchaser to find some- 
thing just suited to his or her tastes. Mr. Osgood ofters every in- 
ducement to those whose eyes trouble them, he has one of the finest 
set of lenses in the citv, and eyes are tested free. iVppointments 
can be made and he will call at your residence if desired, without 
extra charge. If convenient the early part of the day is more de- 
sirable as the light is stronger then. Spectacles and eyeglasses are 
made to order. In the repairing of watches, jewelry and clocks, 
particularly French clocks, every pains and attention is gi\en and 
all work warranted. By sending him a postal he will call for, re- 
pair and return it, in first-class order. Mr. Osgood keeps assist- 
ailts in his establishment to attend to the large trade he has built 
up among a large portion of the finest families in the county. He 
is a native of Maine, voung, enterprising and full of Yankee vim 
and pluck, and is destined to extend the operations of his business 
to a still more eminent degree. He will also be found a most lib- 
eral man to trade with, and those of our readers desiring anything 
in this line will be pecuniarily benefitted by patronizing him. 

Remember the Place — 59 Main Street, Houlton, Maine. 



We al\v^av^ keep oi^ band a ;^bock of • • • 

= IVIILLINKRY= 

Wtiicti is Unsurpassed in ttiis Town for 

QUALITY, # QUANTia^Y # or # PRICE. 

We are ii,la(l to welcome visitors and pleased to show our goods, 
and teel contident with our long experience and increasinor business 
we can satisf\- all who favor us with their patronage. 

Thanking our customers for their patronage in the past, and h\' 
strict attention to business we hope to merit a continuance of same. 

SLIPP & SINCOCK, 

Main Street, - - Houlton, Maine. 

THE HDLLTOX REPAIR SHOP 

Is always prepared to do all kinds of REPAIR WORK, 

as follows : 

SEWING MACHINES) 

__._^_.„„^^ f Cleaned and Repaired. 

GUNS »«> REVOLVERS J 

Saws (Tiuniiied and Filed; St-issors, Knives, and all 

Edged Tools Ground and Sharpened with care; 

Locks of all kinds repaired, and Keys fitted; 

Trunks repaired; Umbrellas mended. 

All kinds of SMALL LATHE WORK done, sucii as Turning 

Brass, Copper, Iron, etc., in small dimensions, and in Wood. 

such as Handles, Rolling Pins, etc. 

Times Block, Court Street, - Houlton, Maine. 



T 



THE AROOSTOOK WAR. 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Hoiilton view of the Aroostook War \\\\\ he t'oiincl to vary 
somewhat in detail and idea from that which has c^iiite generallv 
been entertained, tor this view is seen throngh the luechuni, very 
largely, of the trained soldier's vision of the al)le men at the Gar- 
rison, and the contact of our citizens with the militia forces did not 
inspire them with o\er much respect tor their powers as against 
the regulars of the J3rltish Arm\ . 

On the 3d of August 18o<S, Major Clarke forwarded his last re- 
turn of the Detachment of the 2d Infantry at this Post ; for the 
purpose had been formed to remove the Infantry and replace them 
with the 1st Artillery Regiment which had long been on duty in 
F'lorlda. On the 12th of August he was relieved of the command 
and allowed a furlough. 

The command of Hancock Barracks de\ olved on Capt. I. I. 
Kingsbury, who made his last return October 1th, IS.'mS. 

Under date of October 14th is recorded the arri\al of the new- 
force in the report of the fact to Brig. Gen. R. Jones, Adjt. Gen. 
Washington City. 

" General : 

I have the honor to report that Ct^mpanies C, E and F 
of the 1st Regt. Art'y arrived at this Post, on the 11th 
inst., from Plattsburg, New York, and relieved two Com- 
panies of the 2d Regt. of Infantry. 

By the orders of Brig. Gen. Eustis I was assigned to 
the command of this Detachment. 
I am with much respec^t, 

Yovu' most obedient servant, 

R. M. KiRBv, 
Brevt Major, 1st Art'y, Comd'g. 



jSIajor Revnold M. Kirbv, like his predecessor was born in Con- 
necticut, hut appointed from Massachusetts. He, too. joined the 
arniv in 1812, as Sd Lieut, od Art'y, and, passing through the var- 
ious grades, reached that of Brevet Major in 1st Artillery, Sep- 
tember. 1.S2-1. Oin" people remember him as an older man tlian 
Maj. Clarke, jxissiblv ten Nears or more. His letters \\ ill appear 
in the stor\ of the war without comment, and. at the conclusion, 
a few inferences w ill l;)e drawn. 

October 2'Jth he wrote to the Ordnance Department, in answer 
to inciuiries from there, drawn out by a letter of Maj. Clarke, in 
which he had asked for more supplies: 

••On taking command of this Post and District, the of- 
iicer w hom I relie\ ed turned over a letter from the Ord- 
nance Office, dated the (!th of July, recpiesting to be in- 
formed what Ordnance supplies might probably be re- 
cjuired within the limits of this command during the en- 
suing winter. In replv I have the honor to state that 
there exists, at this time, no ground to suppose that there 
will be an\- attempt on this frontier to disturb the public 
trancjuilitv." 

The next letter from w hich an extract is pertinent is of date, 
Februarv 1st, l.s;;;), to Lt. J. II. Prentiss. A. A. G., X. Dept. : 

••1 have the honor to acknowledge vour letter of the 
I'.lth ult., returning m\ requisitions for Ordnance stores 
I'or the current \ ear. for ■ further explanations.' * » * 
In conclusion I think it ]M-o|ier that at least ten barrels of 
cannon powder shoukl he constantly in magazine, subject 
to such exigencv as mav occur, on this Frontier, at this 
isolated station." 

And hut few davs after this letter, the exigencies on the Fron- 
tier claimed Major Kirln's closest attention, and his letters are of 
the deepest interest. Februarv (ith he hastily pens the following 
to Atlg't Gen. Jones: 

•' I have just received information upon which it is be- 
lieved that full dependence may be placed, that three 
bodies of militia have been organized since the 2ndinst., 
one at Bangor, one at Oldtown, 1-i miles this side of 
Bangor, and one at Lincoln, oi'> miles this side of Ban- 
gor, all under the authoritv of the Government of the 
State of Maine and their destination is the River Aroos- 
took, within the limits of the disputed territory; and 
there to make prisoners of all British Subjects w ho may 



be found employed in cutting and carrying away timber 
to the adjoining Province of New Brunswick * * * 
The force assembled, I understand, amounts to 2,000 
men. The first division was to move on yesterdav UKjrn- 
ing from Lincoln via vSebois, and will be upon the up- 
per waters of tlie Aroostook this evening. "I'he other 
divisions were also to follow, commencing the route at 
the same time. From the state of feeling existing in 
the Province of New Brunswick upon the boundary ques- 
tion there can be no doubt that this demonstration on the 
part of Maine will be viewed as an overt act of hostility, 
and I am apprehensive will lead to retaliatory measures 
of a like nature * * * There are at this moment no 
regular troops in the Province of New Brunswick, and if 
force should lie employed in anv retaliatory measures it 
will lie composed of the militia, who from their excited 
feelings, will be liable to commit excesses npt contem- 
plated liv the British Authorities." 

Eight days thereafter appears this communication : 

" To His Excelle}icy^ John Fairfield^ Gov. of Mauie., 

Sir : — An Express is about to he sent In' the inhabitants 
of this place, and I avail myself of it to inform your exc'v 
of the fact that the Land Agent of Maine, Mr. Mclntyre, 
Gustayus G. Cushman, and Thomas Bartlett, Esquires, 
Magistrates of Penobscot County, were on yesterday, 
made prisoners by a party of armed men within the 
claimed limits of the State of Maine, untler the Treaty 
of 1783. 

I have further to state for your information that the ag- 
gressions in this act of violation of the SoverigntN' ol" the 
United States, and of the vState ^^i Alaine, were perpe- 
trated upon the gentlemen above named by a party of 
armed men, acting as I have reason to believe, without 
authority, civil or militar\ , from the Province of New 
Brunswick, and I am inclined to think against the wishes 
of either. 

I was myself, accidentally, to-day in Woodstock, 
twelve miles from this Post, within the liiuits of the 
Province, and there saw the gentlemen above named, 
prisoners under an armed guard, and witnessed their ig- 
noiuinious removal to Fredericton, the seat of the Go\- 
ernment of the Province. My object in making this 
communication is that you may be early apprised of these 



events, and especially that you)- E.\ce]lenc^ mav believe, 
upon such assurance as ivS in my power to give, that the 
acts of outrage upon the persons named, as well as those 
committed upon the persons of Ebenezer Webster and 
Joim H. Pilsbury, Esquires, citizens of Maine, made pris- 
oneis by the same armed partv, are, in mv opinion, to- 
tally without any legal authorit\ from the Provincial Gov- 
ernment. 

Whatever mav be the result of the operations of the 
party sent to the disputed territor\ under the au- 
thority of the State of Maine, I ta]<e the libertv 
to represent to youi' Excellenc\ . with all deference to 
vou, and a full sense of my own humlile [)osition in re- 
gard to the important question of Sovereigntv, that anv 
hast\' measure of retaliation for the outrage committed 
would compromise the interests of the vState, and com- 
plicate those matters which are now subjects ol' negotia- 
tion between the two (General Governments. 

The haste in which I make this comnumication is m\ 
a])()l<)g\- tor these crutle suggestions, oHered onl\' with a 
\ iew to prevent pren^ature hostilities." 

Xext is a conmnmication to the- Adj't Gen.. \\ asliington. Feb 
luarv l.'tth : 

"On the ()th iust. I had the honor to report to vou 
that an armed foice of two hundred men under the au- 
thcjritv of the vState of Maine had proceeded to the dis- 
puted territorv, on the Northern l)oundarv of this State. 
* * * This partv was not, as at iirst sup])ose(l, an 
oiganized l)odv of militia, but was led In the Land Agent 
of the State and the Sheriti" of Penobscot County, and 
was directed to proceed bv c/viV process against the in- 
truders. On the approach of the partv the intruders re- 
tired to the Province of New Brunswick, where thev 
armed themselves by plundering sf)me hundred stand of 
aims from the Government arsenal at W oodstock, and 
then returned to the disputed territorv on the Aroostook, 
where on the l.'Jth inst.. they seized and made prison- 
ers * * * This outrage was made without the color 
of either civil or military authoritv. The same force bv 
which this outrage was perpetrated, wdien last heard 
from, was advancing against the party under the com- 
mand of the Sheriti' with the avowed intent and purpose 
of attacking it; and from the inferior number of the lat- 



ter, it is to l)c apprehended tliat it has Ijeen defeated, 
probably with bloodslied. 

A Regiment iVom the West Indies hmded about the 7th 
inst., at Hahfax and ni;i\- be momentarilv expected at 
Fredericton. * * * j presume it will l)e moved to 
the Aroostook, and perhaps within t!ie l)ounds of the 
disputed territory. This I understand would be a vio- 
lation of the arrangement which has heretofore existed 
between the two Governments. * * * ij-, i\-iq mean- 
time I feel it my dut\'. in no wav to cf)mpromise the 
Genei'al Government either b\' furnishing supplies to the 
militia, or making any movement in concert with them, 
but the command will he held in readiness to meet any 
violation on the part (;f our neighbors of the acki/oivl- 
ed^'ed territor\ of the vState of jNIaine." 

February bSth, to His Excellency Jo ni Fairfield Gov. of 
Maine : 

* * * In reph to that portion of \our Excellenc\'s 
letter in which you tlo me the fa\(jr to state tliat you have 
ordered oiit a ^Military force of one thousand \"olunteers 
and drafted mihtia to proceed to sustain the Land Agent's 
part\ . and trust that I shall deem it mv dut\ . with the 
troops under my command to co-operate with tlie forces 
of the State in repelling the invasion of our soil, I have 
to say, that the three Companies constituting this Garri- 
son barely suffice to protect this position, and guard the 
Government .Supplies. I am full\- impressed \\ ith the 
obligation im]iosed upon me to aid the civil and military 
authorities of the State in repelling any invasion of our 
Territory. + + -i- These limited means at my dis- 
jiosal must necessarih' confine mv operations to this im- 
mediate neighborhood. The movements + + + \\ ith- 
in the limits of the disputed territory over wliich. for the 
past year, British troops haye been constantly and habitual- 
ly passing without objection from the State of Maine, are 
such as must tend to produce a collision with the' forces 
of the British Government, provided the Lt. Gov. of 
New Brunswick executes the determination expressed in 
his proclamation. 

It will not be mv dut\ to ccjmpromise the Gen'l Gov- 
ernment in the question of Jurisdiction + + + until 
I am ordered to do so bv mv Superiors of that Govern- 
ment. + + + The oGth Re^. from the West India 



Stations has arrived in the Province. On the l(>th, one 
Com 'pan V of that Reg. passed Woodstock destined to the 
North of the Aroostook. This morning another Coni- 
panv followed, tiie whole nnder the command of Lt. Ct)l. 
Maxwell. I will add. a.s a rinnor. that one of the Regi- 
ments w hich recentl\- passed through to Canada, is or- 
dered back, and that two more Regiments are daih ex- 
pected from the West Indies. 

It is understood that Land Agent Mclntire and the 
gentlemen arrestetl with him were placed in prison on 
their arrival at Fredericton. but that thev have since been 
lodg-^- 1 in p'ivate quarters, and will have an exam- 
inatii 'U this da\'. 

Of same tlate, to Col. Chas. Jarvis. Land ^Vgent of Maine, on 
he Aroostook : 

SiK : — I have the honor to acknowledge vour letter of 
this (lav bv Mr. Pollard. I iiaxe just received a com- 
munication from the Governor of ]\iaine on the subject 
of the present controver.sv. to which I have replied that 
it was mv dutv not to compromise the General Govern- 
ments on the question of Jurisdiction of that portion of 
Maine, now in dispute l)etween the two Covmtries, b\ 
am Militar\- act of occupation bv troops of the United 
States, until otherw ise ordered bv mv Superiors of that 
Government. 

In leplv to voiu" request for a flag, I think it mv dutv 
t.> sa\- that I shall violate the principals above laid 
down b\- furnishing one to the part\ . acting under ^■our 
anthoritv.'" 

Again to Headquarters of the Armv. February 2Uth : 

••Since mv letter of the 15lh inst., I have received a 
letter from the Go\ernor of Maine requesting me. with 
the troops under mv command, to co-operate w ith the 
forces of the State + + + I declined compromising 
the Government of the United States by any act which 
would be in furtherance of the measures adopted bv the 
Government f)f this State. + + + 

Mr. Mclntire + + + arrived here last evening. 
It is their opinion that the militia which have been or- 
dered into service bv the Governor will not be marched 
to the disputed territorv, as it is believed that the Gov- 
ernor of Xew Brunswick will not follow up the intima- 



tion given in his pioclamation l)v crossing the line with a 
regnhn" force." 

One more letter to Col. \V. J. Worth, -Sth Intantr\', ComVrg 
Northern Department, reviews the events since the start of the 
Land Agent's aid, and closes with the following pai'agraph : 

"I have reason to helieve that the Governor will c<jun- 
termand his order for the march of the militia, as it is 
now understood that the Gov. of New 15runswick will 
not march a military force to the Disj^nted TerritorN', as 
intimated in his proclamation, a cop\- of which I have 
the honor also to enclose herewith." 

It seems that no attention was paid to Major Kirbv's suggestion, 
for soon after this date the companies of tiie militia began to ai- 
rive in Houlton. One of the tirst to put in their appearance was 
the Dexter Rifles, quarters were assigned them at the house of 
Aaron Putnam, and the\- remained in the \illage two weeks be- 
fore going North. 

Other Companies continued to arri\'e, till twelve in all had come 
up the Military Road. One of them was quartered at Shephard 
Carv's. Another in an emptv house on the I3radford farm. A 
third at the Ingersoll place, and a fourth at the Washburn place. 
Major Clarke's soldier schoolmaster appeared in tow'u again, in 
command of the Bangor Company. Mr. James Drew liad the 
contract for supplies ibr these troops and employed luanv men and 
teams to transport them. 

Notification is received of the appointment of Leonard Pierce, 
Esq., as the confidential agent of the State Government, at Houl- 
ton, and under date of the ■i.")th an answer was sent to Augusta : 

'^I have had an interview with Leonard Pierce, Esq., 
+ + + and we shall act in concert in putting you in 
possession of such information as mav be important. 

The regular force now in the Province consists of 
four companies of the .'ilith Regt., and a detachment of 
Royal Artilerv, with seven fully equipped field pieces. 
Two of the former and all of the Artilery are at Wood- 
stock, under command of Lt. Col. A. M. Alaxwell. 

Two Companies of fort, and three Companies of Mil- 
itia, say two hundred and fiftv men in all', are at Tobique, 
a few miles below the month of the Aroostook. It is 
certain that the 42nd and f)2nd Regt's, and the remain- 
ing Companies of tlie .'5()th, recentlv known to be at Hal- 
ifax, may be daily expected in the Province of New 



Brunswick, and I liav'e no doubt will be pushed forward 
to this frontier without dchns." 

The l)eginnino- of the end of this warlike paiade appears in the 
followino-, ,,f March 12th, 18;3;) : 

'^7c; Col. A. M. Ma\x^'c/Lj6 Rcgf. Com\ro- H. B. M. 
Troops^ i)i Co. of Carleto)/^ Woodstock : 

\ enclose you a letter for Sir John tlarvev \\ liich I 
have just recei\ed 1)\ the Express riders from ^lajor Gen- 
eral Scott, commanding the Eastern Division of the U. 
S. Army, and which ilespatch I am directed to forward 
li\' Express. I deem it sufficient to put \()u in possession 
of it with the above advice. 

Lieut. McDowell, Adjutant of tiiis Biittallion \\ ill have 
the Iionor of handing \o\.\ this." 

Tlie next letter was written to General Scott at Augusta, under 
date ol" March 12th, and gives the militar\ \ iew of the situation 
at the cricis of the 'AVar." 

"Yoiu' letter of the KUh antl the despatch for Sir John 
Harvev were deli\ered to me this nioining at Id o'clock. 
As I am on courteous teiins ol' ciHinnunicalion with Et. 
Col. Maxwell of the 3(!th Regl.. commanding the Mili- 
tary District across the Frontier, 1 forwarded to liim with- 
out delay your despatch, which the officer who bore it re- 
ports to me was instantly sent forward without delay to 
Fredericton, 1)\ a line of Dragoon messengers, and will 
undoul)tedl\ reach its destination to-night. I ha\e tl>e 
honor to report that nothing has occurred here that you 
are not fulh' jjossessed of at Augusta. 

T^le (i'.)th Regt. has arrived at Woodstock and is now 
quartered in that \illage (which is 11 miles from the 
Eine) and in the houses between that place and the Eine. 
A Detachment of the 'M^\.\^ Regt. is also at Woodstock, 
and a part\ of Royal and Militia Artiller\ with seven 
pieces. It is probably a fact that the 11th Regt. irom 
Canada is on its route to Madawaska, and that the leading 
di\ ision is taking position there. 

1 iia\e to represent the indefensible condition of this 
Post by the present command which consists of three 
skeleton Companies only. There are no works, and the 
Enclosure of Pickets is only calculated to define the lim- 
its of the Garrison. There are about twenty days ra- 
tions for five thousand men, and four 6 pdrs., partially 



equipped tor sei vice, but without liorses or caissons. 

There is a British Picket one mile iVom this, and their 
whole force mioht be advanced to it in four hours with- 
out discovery. I enclose for your information a return 
of this Garrison for the month of February." 

To General Scott, Augusta, March 'i4th : 

'T have the honor to enclose herewith an answer froiri 
Sir John Harvey to your despatch, which I forwarded 
on yesterda\- morning. I am desired to sav that your re- 
pl}- will reach him at Woodstock, where he proposes to 
be on Monday evening. 

I am gratified that the course I have pmsued, in this 
command during the excitement which has prevailed on 
this frontier, meets your approbation. We all much re- 
gret that we shall not have the pleasure of receiving you 
here before your return from New York. I had arranged 
quarters within the Garrison for vourself and vStart', and 
in that score \ on woidd not have l)een put to the incon- 
venience of taking them up in the village."' 

To the Act. Assist. Adj't Gen'l Northern Department, Ogdens- 
burg, New York, March :)\st: 

,.* * * Since that period the armed demonstra- 
tions of Maine and New Brunswick, and the concentra- 
tion in this immediate neighborhood of large bodies of 
troops on either side of the frontier and, in hostile atti- 
tude toward each other has jeopardized the peaceable 
relations of the two countries. * * * 

vSir John Harve\', upon the conclusion of the arrange- 
ment negotiated bv Gen. .Scott. promptb' ordered all the 
British troops out of the disputed territory. On yt*'ster- 
dav, there had been no corresponding movement bv the 
Maine troops on the Aroostook, where there are up- 
wards of 2,000 men under command of Gen. Hodsdon." 

To Major Brooks, O'.lth Reg't Com'd'g at Woodstock, N. B., 
April 21st: 

"I have received a despatch from Major General Scott 
for His Excellency Sir J. Harvey with directions to for- 
ward it to him, or to the nearest Post. I commit it to 
your care." 

April 21st to Major Gen. Sir J. Harvey, Fredericton : 

'•'The enclosed private letter from Major Gen. Scott 



came to ni\- hand accompanied bv a note directing me to 
ioruartl it In a sate C()n\e\ance. .Sliould you Avisli to 
communicate with (jeneral Scott it will be a pleasure 
and a dut\ lor me to send on Nour despatches which will 
be a speedier mode than b\- mail, as his Heatlquarters on 
the Canada frontier \\ ill he dail\- changing." 

April :^4th to Major (ieneral Scott: 

••I had the honor to receive \our note of the 12th from 
i'hiladelphia enclosing a letter from Sir John Harvey, 
w hicii I tbrwaided by the line oi" Expresses on the other 
side of the frontier. I have this moment received the 
enclosed reph from Sir ]. Harvey ^vith a line recjuesting 
me to send it forward, t + + I ofier the most sin- 
cere congratulations upon the present aspect of our Brit- 
ish relations, and more especialK u[5on the hap[)v in- 
fluence your presence at Augusta and negotiations has 
had in this momentous national ailairs." 

From this story of these eight weeks excitement, as seen from 
llic (jarrison in Houlton, it becomes evident that the whole ati'air, 
so far as Maine was concerned, was contrary to the wishes and 
plans of the Federal Government, and in direct contra\ention 
with its distinct agreement \\ ith the Hiitish Government, in other 
words, it was incipient rel)ellion. 

Major Kirby's Hrst letter to Go\'. Fairheld, of February 14th. 
showed plainl\- tiie mere lawlessness of the mob who arrested 
Mclntire. This assin^ance of the U. S. officer, near the groimd, 
takes away the excuse f )r the hasty steps. 

When the Land Agent and otheis reached Houlton, on their 
return from Fredericton, the\' belie\ed that all occasion to call 
out the ^Jaine Militia had <lisappeared, as is seen in the letter to 
(ien. Jones of Fel)ruar\ 2<Hh. 

It is also evident that the Governor and his advisers were alto- 
gether disappointed on the refusal of Alajor Kirby to rush to their 
assistance, and commit the United States to the scheme of inva- 
sion. 

Major Kirby's course met the uncpialified approval of his su- 
]K-riors, and Gen. Scott's presence and authority at Augusta, 
brought the opposition to the purposes of the Federal Power to 
a speetlv collapse. 

There was a 'Mnethod in the madness" of that raid of said 
Agent Mclntire, and the corresponding retali.ition of the mob, 
and the most interesting question, to-day, about the whole affair 



is. Whose personal interests were all this commotion and excite- 
ment made to serve? 

An unwritten Chapter remains for some one to set in (jrder, 
which should show the whole transaction in its proper light. 

Major Kirb}- was relieved of the command at the Hancock Bar- 
racks on August 28th, l.S.')!), and allowed a furlough of 3 months. 
He then took command of the Posts at Flattsburg and Rouses 
Point, N. Y., successi\el\ , until Alay 1840, when he returned to 
Houlton to command his own company for four months ; and then 
received the appointment of Post Commander at Fort Sullivan in 
Eastport, where he remained until his death which occurred Octo- 
ber 7th, 1840. 

Captain L. B. Webster of Company C took command (jf the 
Post after the departine of Major Kiiln , and retained the position 
till the April following, when Lt. Col. B. K. Pierce himself came 
to the Barracks. Col. Pieice was appointed fiom New Hamp- 
shire, and was a brother of President Franklin Pierce. 

Eben Woodbury, wlio was born in the town of Durham, then 
in Cumberland Coiuit\ . was also in Bangor on the \\a\ to Houl- 
ton, at the same time with Col. Pierce. He IkuI liired w ith Reu- 
ben Ordway of that city to come t<j Houlton anil dri\e the mail 
stage. 

Lieut's Hooker, Magruder, and Ricketts came to the Post at 
this time, and Capt. Van Ness, probabh'. The largest numlier iA' 
troops that were ever here were in the Barracks, for the next year 
or two. The armament of the Garrison now was 6 new 6 pdrs., 
and one 12 lb. Howitzer. The presence of so large a force, with 
the residence of the Lt. Colonel in the Post, made an exceedingh 
lively state ot things, both for business and diversion. 

After the final disposal of the Bountlary question tlie breaking 
up of the Garrison began. The outbreak of tlie Mexican War 
brought the existence of the Barracks to a close. Capt. Van Ness 
was in command then. On the hour of the departure the citizens 
all turned out to see the troops march away. They filed down 
through the village and hauled the guns with them. The march 
was kept up to Bangor, where they took shij) for Boston Harl)or, 
and thence to Pensacola. 

The departure of the troops cast a gloom over the community. 
and their absence was long regretted b\- all classes. The with- 
drawal of so much ready money out of the place produced \ cr\ 
hard times. Money was scarce to the degree that manv could not 
get enough together to meet their taxes. 

Air. Woodbury has been one of the most successful of our 
merchants and business men in all these intervening years. 



.Vttcr two years service with Orchviu'. he clerked with E. & J. 
Aloulton tour years, then tradetl on his own account one \ear. In 
\^-i~ he formed the well known partnership with Ira Baile\- of 
\\'o()d])ury A: Bailey, and took the Mail contract on the Militar\- 
Koati, This line thev run uninten uptedh for nineteen years, and 
made it one of the best equipped and best manai;ed lines in the 
State. The Eastern Express Co.. undei' management ol Mr. 
W'oodhurv tO(jk the contract in ISC)'.), nu^l ran it till the railway 
superceded such service in INT'i. 

Mr. Woodbury has served eight terms as Representative at Au- 
gusta, one term as Senator, oiie also as Councillor, and was on 
the Valuation Committee of I-S.SO. During the War he was 
I)eput\ Prow Marshal for 4th Distiict of Maine. He lias been 
recentlv ap])()inted b\ the President to his fourth term as Post- 
master. In all these \eai"s, the grocer\ business has been carried 
alouL;'. latterl\- under the immediate supervision of his son-in-law 
Mr. J. C. ^IcIntvre. 



THE RAILWAYS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

In the face of the difficulties and uncertainties of the situation 
aliout the town, after the removal of the troops in 1<S4."), there was 
a slow growth of the settlement, but the valuation of all propert\- 
was low. A general description (>f the \illage at the outbreak of 
the war of the rebellion w(ndd be ol interest, if space allowed, 
tor it would show bv contrast with to-(la\ the wonderful change 
iVom that date to this. 

The Boundary Line was the first cause of the prosperit\- of 
Houlton. Some point, necessarily, \vonld be the metropolis of the 
frontier. The Garrison and the Military Road made Houlton 
that trade centre. The second cause of the town of to-day is the 
railwax connection. By this connection, coming from over the 
Border, the commercial supremacy of Houlton has been incon- 
testable. This line was built by liritish capital, and when opened 
from St. Andrews to Canterbury in l'S,')S, it first competed with 
the Militar\ R(Xid as an outlet for this section. The Company 



was known as the New Brunswick & Canada, and funds furnish- 
ed by Bondholders sufHced to complete the line to the VV'oodstock 
Road, 5 miles from Houltcjn, in Aug. 1862. In the next ten 
years various plans were wrought out, through the means of cap- 
ital held in St. Stephen, Calais and Bangor. The old St. An- 
drews line was tapped by the St. Stephen Branch in 1866. The 
Woodstock Branch was built in 1868, and thatto Houlton in 1870. 
The European & North American Railway was begun in 1868, 
opened to Mattawamkeag in 186D, and finally to Vanceboro in 
November 1871. Six miles east of that point, at McAdam Junc- 
tion, the connection was made for Houlton and Woodstock. 

The completed line from Houlton to Bangor at once took all the 
traffic of this section, and gave a w^onderful impulse to the busi- 
ness of Houlton. The joint line was managed and run as well as 
circumstances would admit of, ])ut both Companies were ham- 
pered for want of means. In June 1875, the E. & N. A. M. 
Co. failed and the line was taken possession of by the Bond- 
holders. 

The road beds were rougli and the rolling stock scanty and in- 
efficient, because the means were so limited. There were good 
executive officers in each management, but they were hampered 
b\ insurmountable difficulties. Extrication was possible only 
through new combinations which began to be developed in the 
summer of 1880, and culminated two vears later. 

During this formative period of the new interests, Houlton was 
not called upon to take any active part in them, but merely looked 
on, and daily reaped their benefit of increasing facilities of trans- 
portation. 

The first New Brunswick Railwa\' Company was organized to 
construct a narrow gauge line from ,St. Marys opposite Frederic- 
ton, up the valley of the St. John toward the Grand Falls and the 
St. Lawrence. Isaac and E. R. Burpee of St. John were the 
first actively interested in carrying out the plan, and very soon as- 
sociated with themselves Mr. Alexander Gibson. By the united 
energy of these able men the work was pushed along, and in the 
month of December 1878 the rails were laid on a branch to Traf- 
ton opposite Woodstock. In November 187o the line was com- 
pleted to the village of Fort Fairfield, and in October 1878 the 
rails were laid to Edmunston, 40 miles above the Grand Falls. 
A charter was ol)tained for a line to be knowMi as the Aroostook 
River Railroad and under authority conferred by that Act the line 
was shortly carried up the river to Caribou. The large bridge for 
both railway and carriages at Woodstock was opened for use in 
1876, and then began a passible railway connection between Ban- 



gor, Houlton ami the upper part of the County. 

Mr. Gibson liavino- signified his intention to withdraw from the 
Company, his associates proceeded to make new combinations and 
enlist capitalists from other directions to take hold with them. 
As the result ol much delilieration and negotiation a new organ- 
ization was formed to enter upon all the rights and privileges of 
the narrow line. This compan\ retained the name of the former, 
and held its first annual meeting at Gibson, X. B., in the month 
of October l-SSl. vSamuel Thorne, Esq., of New York was el- 
ected President, Hon. Isaac Burpee, Vice President. Among the 
Directors were Sir Geo. Stephen and Sir Donald A. .Smith of 
Montreal, also largely interested in the Canadian Pacific Railway, 
and E. R. Burpee, who also became the Alanaging Director. At 
this time it was deteiiiiined to widen the gauge to the standard 
width and contract a new line from Woodstock bv wav of Upper 
Woodstock to Ilartland. Near the close of the next summer the 
rebuilding was completed and the operation of a new line was 
entered upon. 

In the Fall of 1<S.S2 the New Brunswick Compam- leased the 
New Brunswick and Canada Company's line from Woodstock and 
Houlton to Vanceboro, St. Stephen and St. Andrews. Bv these acts 
of consolidation, great improvements were manifest in all depart- 
ments of the ser\ice. In this same season the Me. Central R. R. 
Co. leased the line from Bangor to Vanceboro and in that portion 
of the loute like improvements became possible. 

After two vears of experiment in running the new Road, a 
change was made in the Managing .Stafl of the Companv, and the 
residt of that step was of the highest benefit to the Railway and 
its patrons. F. W. Cram of Bangor was chosen General Man- 
ager. 

The New Brmiswick Railway has now become by ownership 
and management closeh' allied to the great system of the Canadian 
Pacific Railwa\'. As the result of this management, Floulton has 
direct dail\- communication with Montreal and the far West, and 
three trains, daily, except in the depth of winter, for all New 
England and Southern points. 

Bv these successive combinations of ciicumstances Houlton has 
been placed within fovu' hours ride of tide water which is al- 
ways open through the year, within the same time, of all the up- 
per part of the County, within 14 hours ride of Boston, and 17 
hours of Montreal. 



Kred K. Krisbie, 

Keeps one of the Largest Assortments of 

ijoots^ \^r)oe^ apa xvuDDer^ 

In Eastern Maine, including the 

BEST G00D5 AND L^ATEST STYLiESI 

Look around at all the achertised Barf(ains, and then come to lis 
for comparison and to save money. We can and 

^VILL DO IT. 

One Door ^Vest of John ^Vatson's, - Houlton, Me. 

Aroostook Times, 

THEO. GARY, Editor and Publisher. 



ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS. 

Devoted to Local and Home Interests, and the 
Development of Aroostook County. 

First Papei' ! 

Ldt'geM Circtihttiou ! 

Best Adrrrtishifj JlrflhtJH I 

TEl^|V[S : $1.50 peP year in advance. 

Sample copies se//f Jree. Address 

THEO. GARY, Houlton, Me. 



Printing Done and Delivered ALMOST 
AT TME Time Vou Want it. 

Truthfully / cannot claim to have '•'•the largest and most 
complete establishment in Maine ^'' but with my fine 7iezv ontjit^ 
and modern machinery^ I do possess the greatest confidence in 
my ability to Jill all orders entrnsted to me to the entire satis- 
faction oy those so favoring tnc^ and at very reasonable prices. 

IVIy Office is not so large or my business so extended bt^t tliat 
I can give every order personal supervisio/i, a?id guarantee 
good,, clean xvork. 

FINE WEDDING and PROGBflin PfilHTING a Specjaita^ 

J will be pleased to estimate on any work yon may have in the 
fr in ting line, and tfiink you will Jind my prices as low as any 
firm in tlie business, and work better. 

TOWN RKHORTS. 

During tJie coining seaso)i I shall make a specialty of print- 
ing Town Reports. Esti?nates cheerfully furnished . 

WILL H. SMITH, 

No. 68 Main Street, Brick Block, HOULTON, MAINE. 



i BAHBEH SHOP, * If^ 



Covirt street, •» » MOULrTOlV, A.I.A.IIVI3. 

Gentlemen Can Get a Silent SJiave, 

A FasJiionable Hair Cut or SJiampoo. 

Shop neatly fixed up, always clean, and is lighted with the Electric Light. 

only first-class workmen. 



H. .1. HATHEWAY'S DRUG STORE, 

ZZOT7ZiTOIT, MiLZlTS. 

After a number of \ ears' experience in manufacturing 

STANDARD LINIMENT, 

the constant and increasing demand leads me to believe that the 
public are desirous of using good and reliable articles when they 
have a practical knowledge of their merits and benefits ; hence I 
have concluded to put up a line of medicines such as are in popu- 
lar demand, which may and should take the place of Patent Medi- 
cines of similar charatrter. They are put up from good and tried 
prescriptions, without claim for them as absolute specifies, but use- 
ful when a physician will not or cannot be consulted. There is no 
secrecy claimed for them, the formula being placed on each pack- 
age ; hence doctors can administer them intelligently. Below we 
give a list of the prominent articles, viz. : — 

Compound Syrup of Sarsaparilla, Comp. Cathartic Pills, 
U. S. P. 

Improved Comp. Cathartic Pills (purely vegetable). 

Compound Fid. Extract of Buchu and Pariera Brava, the 

king of remedies I'or all Kidne\ troubles. 

Comp. Pile Ointment. Itch Ointment. Saxoline for Burns. 

Red Rose Wash, for external use, and Sandlewood Emul- 
sion for internal use — in place of Copiaba. 

Charm of Beauty, an elegant Cosmetic lor the complexion, 
unsurpassed by any other article of its kind. Onl\' 5()c. per bottle. 

Jackson's Cough Syrup, imequalled for Coughs, Colds, etc. 

Last but not least is the celebrated Standard Liniment, 
having become in faft, as in name, a Staxdakh Family Mp:di- 
ciNE. Try one bottle and you will never be without it. 

All orders should be sent by mail, and will be promptly filled. 

H. J. HATHEWAY. 



H.T. FRISBIK, 



DEALER IN- 



Dry ^ yjood^j ^ Larpebipos^ 
^ Lloak^^ 

Market Square, - - HoULTON, MAINE. 



ES'r^?v:]BL,i»MBr> xse4 



due of tlie Largest Stocks of (ioods 
in Eastern JIaiiie. 



LOWEST PRICES FOR CASH CAN 

ALWAYS BE HAD AT THIS 

ESTABLISHMENT. 



Cash and the Highest Prices Paid for all kinds 
of Shipping Furs. 



THE BIRD^S EYE VIEW. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A description of Houlton in 1889 can most readil}' be undertaken 
in connection with the engraving on the cover, and can thereby be 
made more intelligible than otherwise. The point of view is per- 
haps the first thing to be considered. The current of the Meduxne- 
keag river flows from right to left. The street extending from the 
bridge toward the left is North street, and the cross street reaching 
toward the point of view is named on the View, Putnam street. 
The building in the right hand corner, at the intersection of these 
streets and surrounded with trees, is the Aaron Putnam mansion. 
The point of view then may be ver}- fairly said to be from his 
house, and the look is to the Southeast, in the direction of the 
stand pipe of the Houlton Water Co., the short, tower like structure, 
with the dark shadow at one side. Directly across the stream is 
the West end of the Square as it is termed, but actually a rectangu- 
lar space. At this East end Main street begins and continues on 
in a curving course till it passes oft" the side of the picture. The 
street intersecting this junction of Main and the vSquare is called 
Water street, from the bank of the stream up to that intersection, 
and from thence toward Court street, or colloquiallv Calais street. 
That tends in the direction of the old Baskahegan trail, and over 
that way came the Infantry under Lieut. Gallagher. Court and 
Water streets extend in the due North and South direction, and 
are on a range line. The Square and a portion of main street are 
on a similar tier line of the Lots. Presumably in the central spot 
of those intersecting ways lies burled a bellows pipe which is the 
starting point of all deeds of village property. It is singular that 
so important a point has no permanent monument, and it is the 
occasion of many a smile when the local surveyors more often fail 
to find it, in the first attempt, than otherwise. 



When Grandmother came to the phtce there was no clearing in 
all this field of vision over the stream, except a small one made 
by Dr. Rice, in the Southeast corner of 32, where the Merritt store 
now is. The level and lower parts of the j^'cture were a dense 
cedar swamp. On this side the stream Mr. Putnam had quite a 
jjortion of the river bank all cleared and seeded down. The dam 
where he built his first saw and grist mill is denoted by a dotted 
line, a little way below the britlge. 

The one straight street which crosses from left to right is the 
Military Road, and Main street joins it just at the margin of the 
picture. This portion of tlie Road was built bv Joseph Houlton, 
Jr. At about the joining of Main street and Military Road comes 
the range line of Lots 2(5 and 27, on which James and Samuel 
Houlton settled. Crossing them a hali" a mile, the range line of 
Lots 20 and 21 is reached. In as much as the Road, all the way, 
is thickly settled and the historic ground of the Houlton mansion, 
the Barracks and the Cary store is all in these two last lots, it will 
at once be evident that a large part of the village is shut out of the 
field of view. 

By this general outlining of the situation it will be easy to follow 
a somewhat detailed accf)unt of the streets, buildings, and life of 
our beautiful village. The trees are none too thickly marked on 
the view, and the claim of a beautiful place is conceded to Houlton 
l)y all strangers who come here. The white space above the bridge 
represents the mill pond, and along its edge is Bangor street. Along 
this way, at this end of the bridge, around the Square and in con- 
tigous parts of Water, Main, and Court Streets, are found the lead- 
ing business establishments of the town. On Bangor street are 
Titconib's powerful steam saw mill, the Grieves & Shea foundry 
and machine shop. Sleeper's Tavern, Brown's Starch Factory, and 
Monson's large and well appointed meat market and grocery. At 
the Southwest corner of the Square in the tine lofty building of 
Putnam and Mansur. Stores are In two stories, and the Masonic 
Order lease the two upper floors. Next to this is seen the extensive 
Frisbie block, containing Music Hall, and numerous stores. A 
i"ow of stores continues from that to the corner of Court street, and 
thence down that street to the new Opera House, which is the 
great Cary store of ]8()0 rebuilt, with stores below, and the neat 
and commodious Hall above. The other site on that side devoted 
lo business is the Times building, erected a few years ago, and 
rented to various parties, except the printing office. Across the 
street is the three storv Pioneer building, also largely rented to 
many occupants. Next stands the spacious Exchange Hotel which 
is a favorite resort for the travelling puljlic. Back to the corner of 



the Square shows the huge Union Block. Three stores below and 
offices with Odd Fellows' Hall above. Going up Main street the 
Nickerson and Burnham three story building comes next. Stores 
and tenements fill this. Directly across from this point, Mechanic 
street runs Northerly, down to the river. This short street is a 
busy hive of industry, for the Express office, a liverv stable, and 
many blacksmiths shops are the occasion of much stir and traffic. 
Above Mechanic street on Main street, is first, the block of Fogg 
& Co., containing the store and warehouses of the firm, also apart- 
ments for the Custom House, Post Office, and Telegraph. Next 
again, comes the building of Gillin and Slipp, whoUv devoted to 
business purposes and beyond tliat the lofty Flagg block contain- 
ing four stores and numerous tenements. 

Below Mechanic street is the Brick Block, covering the whole 
space to Water street. This contains eight very fine stores, antl in 
the second story are offices and one tenement. This block is a 
cause of peculiar and proper pride on the part of all the people of 
Houlton. It has taken tlie place of the frail buildings swept oli'in 
the great conflagration of December 1884, and is now so well and 
and carefully built as to be called fire proof. Tiie whole structure 
is heated by steam from the basement of one of the stores These 
stores are devoted to all departments of trade, are large, loftv, 
highly finished, with plate glass windows of single panes, and when 
gleaming with the electric light are a most attractive spectacle. 

On the Nortli side of the Square is the Rufus Alansur house, the 
First National Bank, a number (jf stores, and the old-time, yet ever 
up to the time, Snell House. The new piazza and fresh paint have 
made the building very attracti\e. At the West end is the brick 
building of Mr. John Bradford, where is the office of the Savings 
Bank. Two wooden stores occupy the rest of the space to Bridge 
street. On the bank, behind these last named buildings, is a large 
grist mill, plaster mill and one of the electric light powers. This 
property was used as a saw mill in all the early years under difterent 
owners, till about twelve years ago, when it was put to its present 
use. On this side the bridge the first buildings, at the right are the 
Houlton Steam Dye House and Laundry, and the Woolen Mill ; 
then comes a sash and door factory, next the old Putnam Grist 
Mill, refitted and modernized to do the best of work, and vet fur- 
ther on a very large starch factory belonging to Mr. John Watson. 
Back to the other side the first cross street above Bangor street is 
Kendall street, where is Clark's large Hotel, and a number of black- 
smith shops, stores, and boarding houses. The first jail for this 
County, an old log block house, stood for many years on the site of 
this Hotel. 



This description to tliis point includes all the business structures 
in the view, but mention must be made of the other centre of activi- 
ty, three fourths of a mile above, toward the Garrison ground. 
This activity clusters about the .Station of tlie New Brunswick Rail- 
wav. The existing station building is the old one of the New 
Brunswick and Can. Co., and is altogether inadequate to the needs 
of the place. As soon as the N. B. Co. can perfect their plans it is 
the intention to put up a fine, commodious building. About this 
station vard are the numerous, and well arranged, frost proof pota- 
to houses containing every lacility for the quick and safe handling 
of the foremost potato in the countrv. Across the road and some 
rods away, yet connected bv convenient sidings are two verv im- 
portant industries of the town. Tlie bark extract works, and the 
slaughterhouse of the Fresh Meat Co. Both of these establish- 
ments do a good business in their respective lines, and add much 
to the prosperity of the place. Thev are on the James Houlton 
farm, the South half of Lot 2G. 

Between the station and the Junction of Main street and Military- 
Road is first, the old Catholic cliapel, and. just a little bevond, the 
fine, new, costlv church built two vearsago. Its loftv slated roof 
and spire make it a most conspicious landmark. A ride about 
the streets of the central part of the town will give the observer a 
view of the numerous and costlv private residences, and the manv 
public buildings which have been built from time to time. It will 
be well to state, before viewing the buildings in detail, that, in 
1860, when the .Square and Main street had the few buildings up- 
on them as- stated in the former chapter. Main street and Court 
streets, with the Military Road, were all that were laid out. On 
neither of these were there any houses as thickh' placed as now, 
and the whole length contained but two or three structures. On 
Court street they did not extend but little bevond the first right 
liand street, now laid down, and all the rest of the territorv was 
fields and pastures. 

It may be supposed that the observer is now readv to start down 
Main street from its junction with tlie Military Road. On the 
left hand side, just on the top of the knoll the Congregational Meet- 
ing House was built in the year l'S38. This site was a kind of 
compromise between the first settlement, half a mile above, and 
the growing settlement half a mile below. The lower settlement 
finally had the controling influence, and in 1878 the Meeting 
House was moved down onto Court street. The lot on which 
the House stood is now included in the spacious and elegant grounds 
of the Madigan Estate. The fine house fronts both streets as it 
might be said for no buildings intervene between it and Main street. 



It is easily seen in the view surrounded by many trees. This man- 
sion was built by James C. Madigan, Esq., in 1)^68. He moved 
to this town about forty years ago, and was partner in the law bus- 
iness with John Hodgdon until the latter's removal to the West. 
By this connection with Hodgdon, Mr. Madigan became interested 
in timber lands, and at the time of his death, in 1879, was in pos- 
session of a large property. Just below this place and between the 
two streets is the new (=^ieen Anne house of Mr. C. H. Fierce, 
on a portion of the Lot deeded by his maternal great uncle, John 
Putnam, to his own uncle, Samuel Kendall, Jr. Mr. Pierce has 
built up a most attractive home. Over to the right across the open 
field is seen, on Pleasant street, the large white house of A. A. 
Burleigh, Collector of Customs for the Aroostook District. In 
the progress down Main street, the home of Mis. Eliza Doyle 
Powers is reached. This house was built twenty years ago, and 
is one of the best finished and most pleasing houses to look upon 
in the town. Next to this is the residence of Theo. Cary, Esq., 
Editor and Publisher of the Aroostook Times. Just across the 
way is the house of Mr. A. B. Page, another of the nice houses of 
the street. All along this part of Main street the shade trees are 
in vigorous growth and add much to the desirableness of the location 
for residences. Through Elm street, onto Pleasant street again, 
we get a glimpse of the new houses of Geo. H. Oilman, of the 
Aroostook Pioneer., and of Maj. R. B. Ketchum, of the large lum- 
bering firm of vSharp & Ketchum. Below this, on Main street on 
the right, is the new Episcopal Church and Parsonage, recently 
built. The interior of this Church is finished in the natural 
woods, and gives a most pleasing impression to all who enter the 
building. Opposite this are the fine grounds and new houses of 
Messrs. G. B. Page, Powers, Fogg, and Woodburv- On the 
other side again, near the business part of the street, are the attrac- 
tive places owned bv the Perks Bros, and Mrs. West. 

The stores between here and Water street have already been al- 
luded to, but at the bellows pipe a good view mav be had of the 
large and thoroughly built residence of Walter Mansur, Esq., 
President of the First National Bank. 

This triangular piece of ground between Water street, the Square 
and the stream, is a corner part of Lot 38, and was deeded by 
Aaron Putnam to his son Amos, in payment of supplies furnished 
him and his family in the cold years. If that portion of the vil- 
lage real estate were now to be sold for such a purpose the proceeds 
would certainly support one family a good while. From here a 
turn may be made onto Court street, and after passing the business 
stru6lnres on the right, the new location of the Congregational 



Churclr is tound. The old lK)iise, after its remoxal, was rebuilt 
and retitted into ;i tirst-class modern place of worship. The addi- 
tion of a vestry building- has just Ijeen made. Opposite to this, al- 
though it fronts on the Military Road, is the County Court House. 
This brick structure with French rcjof, town clock, cupola and bell, 
was erected thirty years ago, at a cost of about $35,OO0.(JI). The 
clock, howe\er, is of recent addition, the gift of generous indiyiduals 
to the Tow n. On the opposite corner of tlie Road and Court 
street is the residence of II. T. Frisbie, Esq., und it is the first of 
the elegant mansions \yliich ha\e been erected in the place. The 
grounds about the house are laid out in a tasty manner, and kept 
in perfect order. On Court street after passing two residences, 
the Meeting House and vestry of the First Baptist Church come to 
view. The house was built in ISIIti, and the vestry in I<S71. 

To resume at the Militar\- Road the ()l)s;erver will note al)()\e 
the Court House the ne\y Count\ Jail, neatly finished, at a cost 
of $27,0U().0(). This is a l)uil(ling for use and not ornament, still 
it is due to the Coiumissioners and Designer to admit that it is a 
Hue looking structure and an addition to the looks of the place. 
Ovei' the way stands the long wooden building known as the Gram- 
mer School-house. This was the successor of the old Central Dis- 
trict house of fifty years ago, and now, having served its time, will 
soon l)e demolished to reveal the fine proportions and lolty stories 
of the new brick Grammar School-honse, which, even now, over- 
tops the old one with its lofty roof. The new structure iVonts on 
School street, but will ha\e entrance as well iVom the Roa<l. The 
town was in the most urgent need of more and better school iacil- 
ities, and voted $1.'), 000. 00 for this building. When completed it 
will be like Wording Hall, the equal of anything in its class in the 
vState. Next beyond the Jail is the new Unitarian Meeting House. 
The old structure, across the bridge, and above the Putnam man- 
sion, was damaged by fire two years ago, and the ^Society have be- 
gun the ne\y JKuise on this spot. The exterior and vestry are fin- 
ished but the audience loom is not yet in shape for occupancy. 
The Methodist House is across the Road, just aliove. This modest 
house was built in the fallofl8(;2, and now, after serving well 
the needs of its owners, is soon to give place for a new and modern 
church building. 

Still above this, on the corner of the cross street which spans the 
whole view, is the cottage house of Mr. A. Lovejoy. The fine 
grounds of this place join those of Mr. Fogg on IVIain street, and 
\yithout dividing fence the smooth lawns are most attractive in the 
growing season. 

Mr. L. B. Johnson has a very handsome, white, two story house 



on the Road be\'oiul iNIr. L(;vejo\'. The gToimds are adornetl with 
a fountain and kept in a most excellent order. 

The Free Will Baptist Meeting House with its tall, light colored 
spire is the next in tlie view. This house was built in iSlw and is 
a commodious and comfortable place of worship for the large 
church and congregation which gather here. 

Next coine the grounds of the Institute, somewhat narrow on 
tlie Road, but extentling along iligh street for quite a distance. 
A large part of the Institute land is behind the Meeting House lot 
and the Johnson place. The new dormitory fronts upon High 
street. Upon this and Wording Hall there have been spent, in 
the last two years, something over $35,000.00. 

Across High street in the corner stands the Presbyterian vestry, 
and next above is the new Manse built In the church and the Pas- ; 
tor jointly. The. vacant space in the exact corner of the lot is in- ! 
tended for the Meeting House to be built at some future day. Two | 
more residences are on th.e Road just W est of the Madigan pro- -| 
perty and facing each otlier, that of Mr. Geo. Dunn, who came 
to Houlton from Ashland, and the other belonging to Mrs. Bed- 
ford Hume. Mr. Dunn is extensiyely engaged in lumbering on 
the Aroostook riyer. On all these streets are the comfortable homes 
of our busy people, and space would fail to enumerate them singly. 

By its connection of population, wealth and business, Houlton 
has become one of the most desirable places for residence in all 
this Eastern portion of Maine. Constant accessions to the popula- 
tion are made by emigration from the Lower Provinces. Houlton 
stands as the gateway to the States in the eyes of tiie emigrants, 
and they tarry with us, to settle in some cases, and in others only 
to start again for a longer journey into "the promised land." 

The round tovyer of the Stand Pipe, fifty feet high, gives sugges- 
tion of a word about the Water Company. The pumping station 
is at the head of the mill pond and at the end of Putnam street. It is 
a two story brick structure, thoroughly fitted up for the purpose, 
with large boilers and powerful pumps. The dynamo for the arc 
light system is owned by the Water Co., and has a circuit equal to 
its full capacity. The pipe service reaches all the thickly settled 
parts of the village and gives abundant satisfaction. 

"It costs as much to get the ^^■ater out of the town as to bring it 
in," and a Sewerage Company is at work upon that problem. So 
far they have succeeded in taking the waste away to the extent 
they have laid their mains, but it is very incomplete as yet. 



APPENDIX. 



It is desired, in a few pag-es in this work, to call particular at- 
tention to the Ad\ertisers in the .Sorx'ExiR ; and. while these per- 
sons and firms who ha\e thus adxertised are not all \\ ho trade in 
Houlton, \ et in them are inchuled many and by far the larger pro- 
portion of the \vide awake, intelligent and successful business men 
of Houlton. Our town has arr()<^ated to herself the appellation 
of jMecropolis of this section, and the number of persons who do 
the business and the widely diiferent nationalities represented 
among them, show plainly the centering of business interests in this 
"Mother Settlement" of all this Countv. 

A lew wortls with reference to our Achertisers and their places 
of business will more fullw introduce them to all our readers. As 
good a place to start from as any is, undoubtedly, the First National 
Bank I^uikling, so conspicuous on the North side of the Square. 
Mr. Wm. C. Donnell is the Cashier, the oldest son of our respect- 
ed townsman, Dr. J. Donnell, so recently deceased. Before the 
banking business arose, Mr. Donnell had been in the Insurance 
work, ami for a time j^artner with L. Pierce, Esq. He still con- 
tinues the same work in an adjacent office, imder the care of Wm. 
F. Braden. Good insurance in sound companies will always be 
written here. 

Next door is the Book and Art Store of Frank L. Cook, recent- 
ly opened. Mr. Cook was born in Vienna, Kennebec Co., and 
has had a large experience in mercantile life. In addition to his 
lines of books and stationery supplies, he has laid in a large stock 
of mouldings for picture framing, and will do as good work in this 
line as can he done anywhere. He carries one of the largest and 
finest stocks of curtains, room papers and borders to be found in 
this county. A special feature of his work is the filling of indiyid- 
ual orders for anything in his line which may not be in stock. In- 



tending purchasers may rely upon the utmost promptness in this 
matter, and prices as low as if the articles were on the shelves. 

The successful firm of Smith Bros., b.oth Houlton boys, is found 
in the next store. They began in the stoye and tinware business, 
for themselves, five years ago, after a faithful, service as apprentices 
and journeymen. They now have a spacious, well lighted store, 
and a fine stock of materials and manufa(5tured articles, 

I. M. Hill & Co., successors to J. M. Rice, have all the spacious 
warerooms of the store at the West end of the Scjuare filled with 
the best and most modern styles of furniture, at prices, suited to 
the wants of the purchasers. Mr. H. A. Webber is with them-,' 
and has special charge of the undertaking department. 

From here we cross the Square to the Jewelry Store of E. B. 
White, who came to Houlton from Rockland, his native place, 
about ten vears ago. INIr. White has unusual iikill as a watch re- 
pairer, and will warrant his work. With a sportsnirin's tastes he 
carries a choice line of goods suited to the hiuiter and fisherman. 

Next East of him is the Dry Goods House of Lane & Pearce. 
Mr. vSamuel Lane, the senior partner, was burn in Sangerville, 
Piscataquis Co., and first came to this town as a high school teach- 
er. Mr. Varney Pearce, is the vcnuigcst son of Abraham and 
Fanny (Cook) Pear^ce, Grandson of the ohl Proprietor whose 
namesake he is.. Thisfirm clo a large lousiness in staple and fanc\' 
dry goods, and also boots and shoes. They are very pi^pular with 
their friends. 

In the next door C. H. Wilson, who canie to Houlton from 
Haynesyille many years ago, greets all customers who seek shelf and 
heavy groceries. He has had a long experience in this kind of 
trade, and will sell satisfactory goods at proper prices. 

F. F. Frisbie, Houlton born and bred, has a lioot and shoe store 
in the large Frisbie Block, which was built 1)\- his lirotlier, IL T. 
Frisl^ie, some eighteen years ago. Fred's stock is always of the 
best.' 

Mr. H. T. Frisbie, the head of the famil\' in our town, carries 
on his remarkably successful Dry Goods and Ladies' and Gents' 
Furnishing Goods business in the other large store in this block. 
Mr. Frisbie began his career, in a humble manner, before the late 
WarV at L.^wey'^ Island, but, on the death of hi,s father, returned 
to h*, ,,rioulton home and made the foundation of his fortune in the' 
store of the old Dr. French building, next to Ifis present store, 
which is the oldest building now standing on the vSquare. The 
stock of goods carried is yery large, and fill all the spacious store 
below, and large rooms of the second story. 

Between the two stores of Fred Frisbie is the Plardware and 



Cutlery Store of John Watson, who came to Iloulton more than 
twenty years ago, from his home in Andover, Victoria Co., N. B. 
Mr. Watson in the exercise of great business sagacity has built up 
a very large and prosperous business, and tliough this store, with 
cellars and outbuildings is full of all nameable articles in his line, 
yet the survey of these gives but a small idea of the full extent of 
his operations. Two large starch factories and the most complete 
carriage making and wood w^orking shop in this section are parts 
of his work. He handles fertilizers on a most extensive scale. In 
the store is always found a hue line of choice shelf hardware in 
large amount. Silverware, of all sorts of styles and prices, always 
on hand. Sportsmens' outfits are found always complete and desir- 
able. 

Along Main street a few steps we come to the Blue Store of Mr. 
J. H. W ingate, who came to us from Hallowell ten years ag(j. He 
offers good bargains in Furnishing Goods and (jents' Small Wares, 
and Ladies' Shoes. He is bound to salisl\ his customers, and 
those who seek his lines can be assured of tail" prices, and "'uo 
trouble to show goods." 

Around the corner, upon Court street we Hud the fashionable, 
well supplied Barber SIiojd of Mr. J. R. Varney, who came from 
Calais a year ago. The sh')p is m )st conveniently located, and 
patrons can depentl upon skilled workmen and most prompt at- 
tention. 

Two doors below we meet J. A. Millar in his well fiUeil, finely 
arranged, and most attractive gi'ocery, fruit, and confectionery store. 
John was born in Gagetown, York Co., N. B., and alter attempt- 
ing one or two other venluies became satisfietl with the opening 
Houlton aiibrded for a fii'st-class grocery store. Experience has 
taught him to lead rather than follow, and to him belongs the credit 
of putting the tine fruits and confectionery of the large markets be- 
fore our own people. His success has been most gratifying to his 
friends and himself too. All the lines which make first-class grocery 
stock are in his store ; and in flour, in particular, whether it is 
quality or price, the customer seeks, John can satisfy him in 
either. 

C. F. Ross, who was born in Littleton, and learned the ways of 
trade with Mr. Frisbie, has the large tailor siiop under the Opera 
House. Air. Ross employes a large number of experience'1 hands 
and gives good satisfaction to his customers. He makes ^, ite a 
successful part of his work bv traveling through the upper part of 
the County. 

In the Times Block we find the repair shop of D. F. Champeon, 
who is foreman of the electric light "ircuitofthe Water Co. Forrest 



does all small lathe and machine work and will be glad to aid any 
who need such appliances. 

On Main street, as one passes up the sidewalk, in the Nickevson 
Block, we find J. K. Osgood with clocks, watciies. and silverware. 
Bargains in all his ofiers present themselves to every one. 

VV. A. Xickerson, a Hodgdon boy, hasbe\(>nd the Osgood store, 
one (ji" the best stocked antl most complete dry goods stores of the 
town. In tin" coats tor men, and cloaks and wraps lor \yomen, 
Mr. Nickerson carries a large stock, and makes very large sales, 
in their season. The stock is all bought on the best possible terms, 
and can therefore be sold at correspondingl\- g'ood prices. The 
amount of sales in good days shows the satisfaction of the bu\ ing 
community with Mr. Nickerson and his wares. 

A little above is the Meat jMaiket of W. G. Somer\ ille. who was 
born in Wickham, Qiieen'sCo., N. B., and since he began in trade 
for himself has developed good 1)usiness capacity. 

Some doors beyond is tlie custom made boot and shoe store of 
T. W. Ebbett, \vhose earl\ home was Wicklow, Carleton Co., N. 
B. Air. Ebbett has had long experience at tlie trade and does the 
best of work. His fine Frencli kip driving boots are unexcelled. 
Some of them have been in constant use through two season's work. 
Ladies fine wear also is a specialt\- witli Mr. Ebl:)ett. wSuch makes 
wear to satisfaction and more than pav the cost. 

.Vcross the street is the store of S. II. Powers. .Sam has tried 
many things in his business career, since he leit his native town of 
Bluehill, in Hancock Co., Init has lived for the most part in Ilout- 
ton, since the ^Val■. He now is dealing laigeh' in second-hand 
household furnishings, as we'l as in the making of picture fiames. 
He has a good word for all who call and if no trade is made it is 
no fault of his. . He has helped us in the stor\ of the town in a 
large degree. 

The first store in the next block is the milliner\ establishment of 
Slipp & Sincock. These ladies have had remarkable success in 
the few years they have been in tlie business, in supplying the wants 
of the gentler sex, in all those arrangements of ribljon and color 
W'hich go to heighten their charms. 

Opening tlie next door we meet tlie Gillin Bo\s, whose home 
has ahvavs been wdth us. They do an excellent business in gro- 
ceries and meats, wdiolesale and retail. They have hosts of friends 
and keep them too. Their investments in cheese are heavy, each 
season, and they doubtless handle more than any other firm in the 
County. Their front store is attractively arranged, and the goods 
are fresh and of the best. Next to their meat lines they would call 



especial attention to the brands of flour, teas, coflees and tol^acco. 
all of which thev keep large stocks. 

A.vH. Fogg & Co. ahva\s give a cordial greeting to every one 
who comes to see them. The tirm is. Almon 11. Fogg, born and 
trained in Bangor, and Clarence II. Pierce, whose mother was 
niece of Proprietor John Putnam, autl lii> lather L. Pierce, Esq., 
so long and honoral)l\ known, in the middle vears of the town's 
hibtorx . The firm \\n^ e^talilished in trade before tiie \\ ar. and 
has kept on the even term of its \\ a\ as a general hardware, iron 
and steel, paints and oils, agricultural machineiv, and w holesale 
groceries to the trade. At tiiis time of the vear thev are exceed- 
inglv busied with the work of furnishing supplies for the lumber- 
men. They have had from the the first the agenev of the Bnckeve 
Mower, the one unrivalled mower <>f the countrx . 

Down on Mechanic street is found the large two stor\ building 
of the Taber industi ies. Below, A. P. M. Taber gives his whole 
attention to horse shoeing, and has. as his customers, our best and 
most critical horse owners. That he satisHes them is tlie proof of 
his work. Up-stairs, Geo. \l. Taber has devoted himself to the 
special work of carriage trimming, being the first establishment of 
the kind ever set up in this town, and has begun to develope a 
good tratle. Geo. will show to all w ho favor him that in making 
and tri.nming ol" tops, seats and thills he can do better than others 
who do not have the special facilities and handicraft. 

On the return to Main street, of tlie stores in the Brick Block, 
notice is called to the hrst at the EasterK end, occupied b\- the ex- 
tensive clothing firm of \Vm. Fox & Sons. The senior member 
has been in the same business in Bucksport for more than thirtv 
years and still carries on the store there. Two sons, Theodore ]. 
and Calvin L.. who were born there, conduct the business in this 
town antl have taken to themselves a good share of patronage. 
Their store is large, and w ell lightetl In the w indows on Mechanic 
street. Their shelves, counters and drawers aie full of all the best 
kinds of goods for men's wear. Theii- single \\ ish is to sell the 
bestvin their lines to all whom thev can possil)lv reach. 

Up-stairs just over this store is the tastv and well arranged office 
of Dr. H. ]\T Cochran, Dental Surgeon. Dr. Cochran has had 
remarkable success, and wins manv friends. Along the hall a few 
steps is the printing office of W. H. Smith. As it would not 
sound well to '* puti'" one's own business, we invite all to call and 
see for themselves. 

The second store of the Block is occupied bv Mr. Maurice 
Schmnckler, who was born in Br&slaw, Prussia, and who came to 
this continent twenty years ago. In 187.") he moved to this town 



and opened the first exclusively ready made clothing store in 
Aroostook County. With his long experience, and first establish- 
ment in the trade, Mr. Schmuckler has liad good success in build- 
ing up a trade in his line. His stock is well selected, well made 
and put at the best possible prices. It is worth one's while to 
visit his store, and learn tlie opportunities for profital)le use of the 
money. 

H. J. Hatheway, a native of Eastport, with his large and well 
selected stock of drugs, chemicals and fancv goods, occupies a very 
handsome store about the centre of the row. Tlie second story 
is finished and furnished as his residence. Besides taking great 
pains with all physicians prescriptions, Mr. Hathewav puts up 
and sells most carefully compounded standard prescriptions. 
Among these is the now widelv known .Standard Liniment, which 
is firmly established among our people. 

Next door is the dr\ goods store of Chas. P. Tennev, another 
grandson of Proprietor Varney Pearce of New Salem. Mr. Ten- 
ney occupies both stories of the store, and the arrangement is such 
for light, and for convenient showing of goods, tliat the store is a 
most popular ladies' resort. Mr. Tenney's go(^ds are the verv 
best and most fashionable in the market. In ladies' boots and 
shoes, gents' hats and caps, and in robes and skin coats his stock 
is very large, well selected, and sold at living prices. The store 
is worth a visit, merely to look at. 

Next to the Tenney stores is the extra fine, well liglited, taste- 
ful and well stocked hardware store of Waldo G. Brown, ilis 
stock of shelf goods is unusuallv laige, filling both sides of the 
lofty front store. In the cellar he has the boiler which heats the 
whole block, and in the line of steam fitting does a large busi- 
ness. At the present time Mr. Brown is just receiving and open- 
ing the finest line of silver plated ware ever brought to this town. 
This includes all the common and uncommon articles of such ser- 
vice, and for Christmas presents will present to purchasers imcom- 
monlv fine chances for selection. Also at the same time he is in 
receipt of specialties in brass goods for fireplace service. These 
are unusual in style and quality and well deserve careful examina- 
tion. 

The Westerly corner store is filled with the large and ample 
stock of groceries, meats and crockery of the firm of E. Merritt 
& Sons. The active partners, C. D. and L. F. Merritt, were 
born in Mansfield, Mass., and began business on this spot about 
twenty years ago. 

By reference to the view it will be seen that lielow the Square 
towards the bridge there is another open space formed by the meet- 



ing of three or lour streets. Around this are now phiced some of 
Our enterprising tirms who add much to the sum of the industry 
of the town. 

In the basement of the Spooner building, just at the corner of 
the Square and Bridge street, is the meat and grocery store of J. 
C. Harrigan, who came from Littleton, and has built up a good 
reputation for himself. On the first of Alarch he will open a new 
store and stock in his own building, on Coiut street, next North 
of the Exchange. 

The next building to the great Putnam building is just newdv 
finished by the firm of Hiram Smith & Co. Thexclo a large and 
increasing business in Flour, Grain and Mill Feeds, and in job- 
bing and retailing of Groceries. Their new store is well arrang- 
ed and ver\- conveniently located. Thev have taken the agency 
for the Bowker Fertilizers, and will be prepared to sell these 
choice makes to all who want quick returns on well developed 
crops. 

The Bowker Fertilizer Co. have made to themselves a well de- 
served reputation for the manufactuie of the best of fertilizers. 
Thev have been in the work some fifteen vears and the output now 
is about 40,000 tons annually. They have two large factories, one 
in Massachusetts and the other in New Jersey. Headquarters are 
in Boston, and the Manager and Head is Mr. \Vm. H. Bowker, 
a gentleman of great business sagacity, and clear comprehension 
of the elements which make success in a given line. He first 
tor>k up the making of the Stockbridge Special Complete Ma- 
nures, and in them our farmers find the best returns for their in- 
vestments. 

Next door South ol" the .Smith liuilding is the Harness Shop of 
Jas. H. Sinclair. He has succeeded to the work of one of our 
oldest and widely known harness makers, the late J. C. Spooner. 
Mr. Sinclair carries a large stock of material, and keeps a good 
assortment of made up goods and shelf saddlery hardvvare. 

In the point of the Heater of the two streets, is the large gro- 
cery and meat shop of L. Monson & Son, both natives of this 
town. Here is cut up the best of meat, and the ofierings of poul- 
try, fish, and general supplies are of the best. In connection with 
this store they carry on the Bakery, and supply a very large cir- 
cuit oi" customers with beans, bro\yn and white bread. Also cakes 
and pastry are constantly on hand fresh from the oven. 



Lane -^-m^- Pearce, 

JJry#T ar)cy Vjood.^. 



Li 



gDe;|iiissES'-piLDBErs 

IN PLUSH, HSTRHGHN, BEflVER m STRIPES. 




ALWAYS ON HAND: 



Ladies', Gents' and Children's Underwear of 

all kinds. Also, Kid Gloves, Corsets, 

Hosiery; Silk, Linen and Cambric 

Hankerchiefs and Mufflers. 

White and Colored Table 

Damask and Napkins. 

BOOTS, SHOES AND OVERSHOES. 



-We Make a Specialty of- 



Fine Dress Goods and Trimmings, 

Ladies', Gents' and Children's 

FII)E BOOTS, SHOES m SLIPPERS. 

Red Store, - - Houlton, Maine. 




T. V. EBBETT, 



CUSTOM 



Boot and Shoe Maker 



Main Street, 



Houlton, Maine. 



3e; 



Again I wish to thank my customers 
and the general public for the liberal pat- 
ronage accorded to me during the past 
and \\ ish U) inform them that I am still putting up 

First-Class Custoui Boots and Shoes. 



"%^vm:^v I^ ITT— 

That so many come to me to buy FIRST-CLASS FRENCH KIP DRIVING 
BOOTS and SHOES? It is because they can always get them. 

WMl^ IS IT 

That thej' alwa3's call on me for more just like them ; some in one year, and some 
in two years or more? It is because they do not have to call sooner. And must 
I make further inquiries by asking 

VSTH^^ IS IT 

That these parties NEVER DISPUTE PRICES when they call for more FIRST- 
CLASS BOOTS or SHOES - Calf or Kip, Every Day or Fine Boots — Re- 
pairing-, or anything in the line of Custom Work? It is because they know that 
they are getting their money's worth. 

If niy Boots or Stioes do not give Satisfaction, or if my Repairino gives 
out, I will niaRe it ligtjt. 

I always have on hand a Hne of Custom Made Boots and 
Shoes, Driving Boots, etc. 

%^I itse only Jirst-class stock. On served work I ahvays use 
Oak Sole Leather Bottoms. I have an experienced workman 
with me the year roiuid. 

Be sure and call. Prices Reasonable. 



AVILLIAM FOX & SONS 



Greet you all with the Largest and 
Finest stock of 



9 



THAT IS TO BE FOUND IN EASTERN MAINE. 



/?i Our Meji's Department 

We have an Elegant Line of Business and Dress Suits, 
AND Overcoats. 

Our Young Men^s Department 

Is complete with all the Latest and Most Fashionable Styles of 
Suits and Overcoats. 

In Our Boys' and Children'' s Department 

Will be found all the Latest Novelties of the Season in Nobby 
Overcoats with Capes, and without, and a Beautiful 
Line of Suits. 

In Our Furnishing Goods Department 

We have an Extra Large Stock of Underwear, Neckwear, 
Collars, Cuffs, Hosiery, Gloves, Etc. 

Our Boot and Shoe Department 

Is Full of New Goods from the Best Manufacturers for Men 
and Boys. 



PRICES hre rlwoys the lowest. 



WILLIAM FOX & SONS, 

"The Leading Clothiers," 

NO. 70 Plain and 2 & 4 mecMc Streets, - HODLTOH, HE. 



11^=3 _ -^1 



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